Past to present, Zero's another world
by Kurogems1208
Summary: Louise, like usual, summoned Saito. However, this Saito is not the same like before. And Tabitha didn't summon Sylphid as well, but another human, or is he? Let's see how much Halkeginia will be changed with these familiars. OP OC, wiser and smarter Saito, kinder Louise (maybe?), kinder Kirche (for sure), more personalities Tabitha (I like her quite characters, but I want more).
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Neptunia series and Zero no Tsukaima. They belong to their respective producers. I only own my OCs and the stories.**

 **Welcome to my new story. This is my second story, and the first crossover. To the people who have read my first story, welcome back. There're a lot of missing information in the first chapter, but that's my intention. I will make sure, even when you haven't read my first one, you can still understand what I'm trying to do.**

 **So no more words, hope you enjoy the first chapter of Past to present, Zero's another world!**

A bit of basic fonts:

The Creator

 _The Observer_

Story-telling

"Speaking, and telepathy if it's defined"

'Thinking/Telepathy'

 **Important information**

* * *

Saito's, aka ?, POV

So, I am returning from my work (yes, work, not study) when my phone starts ringing up. I look at my phone screen, no name, no number. Strange. I push the call button and put the phone on my ear. "Hello? Who is that?"

 _Hey, it's me._

"Oh, **T.O,** long time no see! What's the matter?" It's been a while from the last time I saw him.

 _Remember our conversation_ _ **9 months ago**_ _? It's time._

The conversation? OH! "It's time already? Man, time sure runs fast."

 _Yeah,_ _ **The Creator**_ _'s order. Sorry to pull you out of your family._

"Don't worry, you have told us beforehand already. However, I need to talk to **my family** about it, okay?"

 _Of course. But I need you to complete it in about two hours._ _ **Kuro**_ _knew about the adventure, but not about you being_ _ **summoned**_ _like him. If he's confused when you meet him, just tell him you're going with him._

"Okay. But when will I meet him? A few moments later?"

 _No, when you're summoned to the_ _ **another universe**_ _. Kuro would be summoned just moments before you._

"Got it. Thank you." I close the phone and look at the sky. Nine months have passed already? After **that day** …

I'm standing in front of my house, and the moment I open the door, a little boy runs right to me, excitedly bouncing on his feet.

"You're back early! Did you have a good time in your job?"

I smile and rub his head: "Something like that. By the way, where is…"

"I'm here." Walking from inside to the door, a girl in her normal outfit minus her shoes, with an apron above it, is looking at me with her bright smile. "Welcome back home. Why are you returning so soon?"

"Well, the quests are a little too easy to deal with. Oh and, I'm leaving for about a few months."

The boy looks at me: "Why?" I answer: "Do you remember Kuro? About my planned travel?"

She understands: "Oh. It's time already?"

I nod. "Yes. I will miss you two so much." I pick the boy up and walk to the girl to get a group hug.

The girl smiles: "We will miss you too. Be safe, okay?"

The boy: "You should be okay, okay? If not, we'll be very angry."

I smile: "Of course. Believe in little old me, okay?" That causes the three of us to laugh.

About an hour later…

I got everything I need in my **hammerspace** now. Let's wait to see if there's anymore warning…

'My servant that existed somewhere in the vast universe'

Wait, where's that voice from? It belongs to a young girl, but I'm in my room now. Maybe…

'My divine, beautiful, wise, powerful servant, heed my call'

Then a portal appears before me. Maybe this is the gate to my adventure. And 'servant'? I am summoned to be a servant? It's not something I like.

 _Sorry about that, but there's no other option._

'T.O? Is something like this happened before?'

 _It's from the original._

'So that's why. Like some events Kuro didn't want to change?'

 _Yeah, something like that._

'Okay. But I still don't like the sound of it.'

 _No human likes to be summoned. I cannot do anything more, aside from giving you enough time to say your goodbye._

'Don't worry about it. Well, let's head in'

'I wish from very bottom of my heart and add to my guidance'

'My first real step to another universe, **aside from my old world.** '

'And appear!'

* * *

*BOOM!* Classic scene, ladies and gentleman.

*Cough* *Cough* 'Really? My first step starts with an explosion?' And smoke surrounding me too. I hope this is not a bad sign.

 _I almost forgot._

'Huh? What is it?'

 _ **Don't use magic.**_ _Not until Kuro spills everything out or let you do it, okay?_

'Is that really crucial?'

 _This world works very different. Think of it as a_ _ **Roman magical era.**_

'That bad?'

 _You will see, when your_ _ **master**_ _talks to you._

'Oh god…Really?'

The smoke starts spreading out, and I can see things in front of me. And the first thing is…pink. Pink hair… I would say it's weird to see a person with pink hair, **if I was on Earth.** The one which it belongs to is a small girl in her 16-year. She has pink eyes also, anime protagonist detected everyone, and she's wearing a uniform of sort (white shirt and black skirt), with black cape covering her back and some kind of emblem on her shirt's collar. She wears black thigh-high socks and black shoes. Also, it seems Louise's eye color is different from anime to novel. I will try to stick with one, but it's kinda hard when I try to use the novel AND the anime wiki at the same time. And she is pointing a stick, no, a wand at me. Magical era, huh?

The girl asks me, demand clearly showing on her voice: "Who are you, commoner?" By the way, I'm kneeling on the ground, not lying down. I heard the problem from Kuro, and it seems he hated it, a lot.

"My name? It's Saito Hiraga." I'm using Western way to address name here, since I'm using English to write. It makes me feel more comfortable. If you don't like it, I will change in the future.

"Where are you from? I'm hoping you're from the same place with the previous one." Previous one? Kuro is here? That gives me way less trouble. But before I can answer…

"My, my… You also summoned a handsome boy, too. But **blue for his eyes** …I think he's fit for Tabitha more…" Another girl is walking near to the pink girl, and she is… well, more developed than the small girl. Wait, blue eyes? Last time I check my eyes were black… Now I finally notice my outfit, I'm wearing my old blue long-sleeved jacket over my white shirt, black jeans and white sneaker.

This is **how I looked like before, not now!** Don't tell me that, not only I'm **de-aged,** but I'm also **turned back to my previous self?**

When I'm snapped out of my thought, the pink girl's face is directly before me: "You should count yourself lucky. Normally, you'd go your whole life without a noble doing this to you." Noble… A word that hasn't used for quite a long time to address a title. No, I'm not talking about Noble-Six or another Nobles from Halo games. I'm talking about the politic ranks. Then she waves her wand on her hand and starts chanting: "My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being and make him my familiar." Familiar? Oh no, I thought I was summoned to be a servant? Then, the next thing happens: she kisses me. Now, let's be real here, kissing is no stranger to me, since I have **her** as **my wife** , however, this method of contracting is not… familiar to me. Even when in **Gamindustri** …

She releases the kiss instantly and blushes. Yeah, right, kissing a stranger… "It's done." She sighs, and I feel relief in it. Suddenly, I feel my left hand starting to burn. I bite my lips to suppress a scream, as some kind of runes are being written on my hand. Then, like how suddenly it started, it stops.

"Congratulation. You have finished your Springtime Familiar Summoning." I look to the direction of the voice, to see a middle-aged man holding a wooden staff. So most people here are mages, huh?

"But it's because he's just like him, Professor Colbert. Both of them are just commoners." Again with that. Commoners? If they separate people by calling them Commoner or Noble, then that's just racist. Somehow.

"That doesn't matter. Young man, can I see your runes?" The man, who is called Colbert, asks me.

I look at my hand again, then show it to him: "Sure, why not?"

He looks at it, then draws it on a piece of paper, with a feather… Freaking feather… No wonder T.O said this world is like Roman era. I notice there's another piece with another rune drawing, maybe he writes down all of the familiar's runes and not just mine.

"Hey, young man, need to get up?" I see a hand stretching out to me. I look to the owner, and I sigh in relief. He's **my friend**. He's standing out among people, because he's wearing his lab coat, white shirt combined with black jeans and shoes. The short black hair and eyes are not hard to be mistaken around. I grab his hand and he pulls me off the ground.

"Thanks Kuro. Looks like you're here first." That earns me a confused look from him. Oh right, when we're in Gamindustri, this is **not** how I looked like.

"May I ask how you know my name Saito?"

Well, time for the truth, huh? "Yes, my name is Saito Hiraga, however, you have known me as…"

* * *

A moment before, Kuro's POV

'Now, let's see if I can change Halkeginia to the way **we want.** ' And I'm terribly sorry to anyone who has read my first story, I messed up the name in the last chapter. From the chanting **earlier** , it seems the person who's summoning me is not Louise, but rather, Tabitha or Charlotte. It's a bit strange though, my **Darkness** is more compatible with the element Void than Water. Or Tabitha here is a Void mage as well? Well, who knows? Let's see about that.

A light occurs, forcing me to hold my hand up to block it. Then, it dies down, and I can see what's before me. And I was right, Tabitha is right before me. Not so many mages here are petite and have blue as main color like her. And, she kinda has that passive look to her. However, with my limited knowledge, I think she's trying to **examine me.** Not in that way you guys.

No words are spoken between us for a few seconds, then…

"Oh my Tabitha! You summoned a very handsome familiar!" Guess who.

Let's just say, Kirche is in her 'flirtatious' mode. And I know about it, so her words don't affect me…much.

Professor Colbert asks Tabitha: "Miss Tabitha, please complete your contract with him."

Tabitha looks at me for a bit, then turns to Colbert: "Another place." Forgive me if the characters are a bit OOC. I'm re-watching it to get a better idea. Also, seriously, the first five chapters of novel version don't have a single 'Tabitha' in it?

It seems Tabitha wants some privacy. Why though? I try to remember…Oh right. You have to use your real name to do the spell. She's using her alias now, so obviously it wouldn't work.

Colbert doesn't know about it, but still allows it: "You want some privacy? Okay. You can go, but please come back so I can write down the rune."

Tabitha nods and turns to me: "Please follow." Well, nothing else to do, so I follow her. She leads me to her room, for some reasons, and her room is…how can I say it? It's simple enough for me. One bed next to the window, which is directly opposite to the door, a small table next to the bed and a bookshelf. Yeah, it looks like a small library all right. And a few pictures hanging on the wall.

She closes the door behind her after we go in the room. She then looks at me.

…

…

"Name?"

"Kuro, for now. So, if I'm right, it's the Familiar Summoning time, right?"

*Nods* "You know?"

"I heard your chanting. Charlotte, isn't it?"

She looks at me in surprise. But then drops it instantly: "Secret."

I nod. "Of course. But… how many know about it?"

"Here? None."

"Even your red-hair friend?"

"Kirche. And no."

"Well, that's your choice. SO, you want to finish the contract or not?"

"Your choice."

I kneel down, so our eyes are in the same level. "Are you sure? This is very important to you." No answer yet. "Why do you do the summoning by the way?"

… "Need a friend."

I raise my eyebrow, even though I kind of have an idea. "She's not enough?"

"Need someone who can keep secret. Kirche too loud."

I chuckle. Yeah, even best friends can talk bad about each other. But they understand each other, that's what matters. "Then why do you think I'm different?"

Silence… "Feels so."

I should stop the questioning now. "All right. I will make the contract with you."

Her eyes widen a bit: "You will?"

I nod. She, along with Louise, will be **the key to the changes**.

She then starts chanting: "My name is Charlotte Helene de Orleans. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being and make him my familiar." And she places her lips on mine. It lasts a tick of a second. And as soon as she lets go, my left hand is being scribed by runes. Once it's done, I decide to use the translation spell **I made for everyone in Gamindustri to understand everything** and see what it says.

'DEATH.'

Death… Does that mean I'm Death the God, or what? Or does it know about **my condition?** Either way…

"Pain?" She asks me, uncertainty about my reaction. She probably heard or saw from the previous summons, that the familiars were in pain a bit when they're scribed.

"A little bit. Come on, let's go back." She complies.

*BOOM!* So Louise has started her summoning. And when we reach the location, there's smoke everywhere. I use a little bit of my power, without anyone noticing, to summon a small wind to clear the smoke. And then when it goes out, it reveals a person in the middle of it. Black hair, blue eyes, blue jacket. Well, our main character is here as well. I let the contract happen, and when it's finished, I walk to him and offer my hand to him. He takes it and I pull him up.

"Thanks Kuro. Looks like you're here first." Wait, he knows me? I didn't see him around in Gamindustri, and sure as hell I haven't met him while I'm **still alive**.

"May I ask how you know my name Saito?"

And his answer? "Yes, my name is Saito Hiraga, however, you have known me as **Adam.** "

Adam? The same Adam who's the A-Rank hunter? The one who has **Falcom** as **his wife?** Okay, what's going on here?

"So… Adam is only your nickname?"

He shakes his head: "No, Saito's my name before **my reincarnation.** I think you understand that, right?"

I look around me. The students here are giving us confused and curious looks. I turn back to him: "We might need to find the another place to speak." He nods, and I turn to Colbert, who's having confusion on his face as well. "Can we meet the Headmaster of this school, please? We need to talk about something."

Colbert snaps out of his daze, and answers me: "Of course, but I need to say my congrats to the students here."

"I understand. We can wait."

* * *

Louise's POV

How dare he speaks to our professor so casually like that! They're just commoners, and they're running their mouths like nothing happened! Then Kirche walks to me and asks me: "You and Tabitha sure summon unique familiars. What're you going to do with him?"

"Probably trying to beat some senses in them, if Tabitha allows me to do so on her familiar. They do not understand who they're talking to. And what're you trying to do to them when you complimented them like that?"

Kirche smirks: "Aren't my lines the truth? They're sure quite lookers. I'm a little bit jealous of you." And she hugs me from behind, and I try to pry myself out of those melons of her.

"Get off, Kirche! This is not comfortable!"

"But it's comfortable to me! You're so small and cute!"

Our ancestors would be very angry when they see us like this. The Valliere and Zerbst family always had constant fight with each other, from politics reasons to another thing as well. 'Had' is the keyword here. From what I heard from my sisters, my mother and Kirche's father suddenly had a peace treat between our family. They said our parents just decided to let the past on their backs, and started a new relationship between us. So, we're not enemies, mind you. However, I don't like her, because of…her… you know about it.

I struggle a bit, but then realize that everyone starts floating away. Maybe professor has done with his speaking. I see him walking back to our familiars and talk to them. They nod, then my familiar, Saito if I remember right, walks to me: "Louise, can you come with us to the Headmaster? We need to ask some favors from him."

I almost shout to him for the disrespect, but Kirche interrupts me: "Can I come with you too?"

Saito looks at her a bit, not once at her jiggle things much to my surprise, then turns his attention to Tabitha's familiar: "Hey Kuro, can she come with us?"

"Let her, Adam. She would follow us if we don't allow her either way." Adam? Didn't my familiar say to me that his name is Saito Hiraga or something? That's the future's matter. Saito then gives us the gesture to follow. How is he and his friend so calm before us like that?

We then walk up to the Headmaster's Office, and we're right in front of the door when we hear something inside: "Sorry, sorry! I won't say it again! I'm sorry! Please stop!" and sounds of something being stepped on.

Professor Colbert is about to open the door, when Tabitha's familiar, 'Kuro isn't it? I think Saito said that…' grabs his hand and shakes his head. He gets the message, and instead knocks on the door first. The sounds before instantly stop, and sounds of movement replace it. Then a little silence. The Professor looks at the familiar again, who nods, and he opens the door. Inside the room, directly at the end of the office is our Headmaster sitting at his table. Rumors say that he's one of the most powerful mages in Halkeginia, and one of the oldest to be alive. And at the left of the room, Miss Longueville who's Headmaster's secretary, is sitting at her table and doing her work. And 'Is she blushing?'.

All of us walk in. Professor Colbert is the one to talk first: "Old Osmond, this young man wants to talk with you about something." He's gesturing to Kuro.

Old Osmond: "Of course. Young man, what do you want to talk about?"

Kuro steps ahead: "Hello Headmaster. My name is Kuro. I and my friend here, Saito Hiraga, are summoned by your students here to become their familiars. We have done the contract, but we want to discuss with you about our living conditions here." This familiar sounds a little off. In his way of talking, it seems he has experienced with this.

Old Osmond: "Oh. You're summoned by the 'Springtime Familiar Summoning'? That's quite a surprise."

Professor Colbert suddenly says: "Oh! I nearly forgot! Mister Kuro, can I see your rune?"

Kuro looks at him, then turns to Tabitha, who gives him a nod. He then shows his left hand to Colbert. The Professor is about to write it down, when he narrows his eyes a bit to see the runes, and he steps back suddenly and drops his paper.

"This…this rune… It's not simply a rune…" What? What does he mean?

Miss Longueville: "This is just a rune, Colbert. You're overacting again."

Colbert looks at her: "You…can check if you want…"

Miss Longueville has a confusion look on her face, as she stands up, walks to Kuro and holds his rune hand up: "Seriously, what makes you…so… scared?" She stops as well, realization written on her face.

Old Osmond notices their reactions: "What's the matter you two?"

Kuro suddenly pockets his hand: "We will talk about it after this." He turns to Old Osmond: "As we're saying, we need a room to stay here. We cannot simply stay with our masters in the same room. People will get the wrong idea."

Old Osmond: "That's fine to me. However, because it's too sudden, so we need a bit of time to prepare. Meanwhile, can you two live in your masters' rooms for a while?"

Kuro nods: "If it won't take too long, then we're fine. And about our relationship as well…"

I decide to step up: "What about our relationship? We've summoned you two as our familiars, isn't that enough to spell out our connection?"

Kuro shakes his head: "No, it's not that simple. Familiars can be anything. As you can see, there's nearly all kinds of familiars: cats, dogs, snakes, dragons, and so on. However, they're mostly being seen as pets. To us, you have to treat us as a human, nothing below. You understand that, right?" Of course I do. My mother doesn't raise me up to treat you two like dogs… Maybe in my mind…That's not the point!

"Of course."

Kuro nods: "Thanks for your understanding. And the next things…are about our origins. I don't want this information to leak outside, okay?"

Kirche smiles: "Oh, a little dark secret from our boys here? I'm excited." And she walks up and grabs his right arm in between her things. Urgh, Kirche and her flirtatious mood.

"Please hand off, Kirche. I'm too old for you." First surprise: he doesn't react to it. Second: He knows Kirche's name. No wait, Tabitha might have said her name to Kuro. And third: He said he's too old? What does that mean? I mean, he looks like he's just reached his twenty, then why did he say like that?

"Oh, come on, darling." Already? "Don't be so harsh on me."

Kuro just sighs and looks at Colbert: "Can you close the door and put a silence spell in the room?"

The Professor nods and does that. After everything is done, Kuro pushes himself out of Kirche, and looks back to Old Osmond: "All right. Oh and before hand, can you explain to my friend here how this world works?" Saito walks to Kuro when he hears that. "As you can see, we're not from this world. I have an idea about this world, however my friend here is clueless about that. And I think hearing the history from the native is better than hearing from the others."

Old Osmond looks at the two: "Is that it? Then why the privacy?"

Kuro: "Because after this, our story might be treated as a heretic act to your world."

A little silence. Old Osmond speaks first: "I don't think a story might be that bad, but I respect your request. However, I think Colbert is the better one to explain about it. I'm not good at explaining this. Colbert, can you?" I decide not to do the running jokes about Osmond spelling Colbert's name wrong too often. I respect people's name, and only give them nicknames if they allow to.

He nods and starts the explanation: "If you're new to this world, then I should start from the beginning. This world is called Halkeginia, and there are five main **human** nations on it: Albion, Tristain, Germania, Gallia and Romalia. There're other nations but we'll talk about it later. Right now, we're at the Tristanian Academy of Magic, an institute that teaches students from aristocratic families in the arts of magic and the study of the elements earth, air, fire, water."

Saito interrupts him: "Wait a second. Aristocratic families? I thought an academy should teach everyone, not just royal people."

Colbert blinks: "Of course, there're schools for normal citizens as well, but…"

Kuro speaks: "I think you should say about the titles here, Colbert. About 'Noble' and such." How dare they speak so casually like that!

I'm fuming now, and Tabitha, who surprisingly doesn't have her book with her, pats my shoulder: "Calm…"

"How can I be calm Tabitha? They're nearly disrespecting the Professors for speaking like that!"

Tabitha shakes her head: "Not so sure…Different cultures…" I know that, but…

Colbert: "Well, there're two kinds of people here: nobles and commoners. Nobles are people who can use magic, and commoners are the ones who can't. This system works for 6000 thousands years now, and…" He notices that Saito is having a disbelieving look on his face. "What's the matter, Saito?"

He outbursts: "What's the matter? That's just as bad as our racism! Who decides that people who can use magic are called nobility?"

Old Osmond seems surprised by his outburst, but then speaks: "It's our nature from the beginning, why…"

Saito: "And you did nothing to change that? What kind of world did I land into?"

Kuro places his hand on Saito's shoulder to calm him: "I know you're upset, but let it go, for now."

Saito turns to him, shocks at what Kuro said: "Don't tell me you agree with them?"

"Of course not. But we cannot change that fact in one day or two. Let us deal with the matter at hand first."

Saito "TSK!" and crosses his arms. "Luckily T.O already warned me about this, if not…" T.O?

Kuro turns to the Headmaster: "Sorry about that. But, I have to be on his side. You should change that way of thinking sooner or later. If not, bad things will happen to you."

Colbert sighs: "Of course. A minor of us think like you two, nobility cannot just be addressed that easy. But it's in our culture, changing is considered heretic…"

"Speaking of heretic…" Saito speaks up again. "How many people or gods do you guys worship?"

Miss Longueville answers: "Only one. Brimir. He's the first Void mage, and he helps us pushing the elves out of our land. The elves are our constant danger, since they want to eliminate us."

Saito: "…" He doesn't say anything. Then he walks to the wall right next to the door and sits on the ground. "I don't think I can take it anymore."

Kirche tries to cheer him up by her usual way: "Come on darling. You shouldn't be down like that."

"Considering that I'm probably **over hundred years old** and have seen many things now, I don't think this world can be changed easily."

Shock's written all over our faces except Kuro. Hundred years old? Kuro then asks him: "So Adam is your new identity when you're reborn in Gamindustri? You died because of old age?"

Saito nods: "Yes. Unlike you, I lived a pretty normal life on Earth. I studied from young age, then went to work, married, retired and then lived peacefully until I died. And then, I'm having a second life in Gamindustri, and it's even more fun than the previous one. To think I was sent here to only find this world's problems…You understand that, do you, Kuro? That's why you're sent here?" Sent? We did summon you two, remember?

"Yes. I know. That's why I'm here. But I never thought you're Saito, and **he** would send you here." Kuro reaches his hand to Saito and smiles: "But if you're here, I hope that we can do it together. Do it alone is boring you know?"

Saito looks at him a bit, then smiles and grabs his hand: "You're right. Besides, he sent me here to help you." Kuro pulls him up, like before.

Kuro: "Thanks for that." He turns to Old Osmond: "Sorry about that. Anyway, I think the information is enough. It's time for us to tell about our world."

It perks Professor Colbert's interest as he pulls out his note and prepares to write at any moment. Kuro notices that and laughs: "You sure are interested with that."

He nods: "Of course! Anything can help us in improving our world!"

Kuro shakes his head but keeps his smile: "Well, many people would say the same. Okay, we'll talk about our original world first, then to our current living world before the girls summoned us."

Old Osmond asks: "Oh? Two worlds? You two are travelers?"

Kuro: "Well, that's a maybe in my case, but no in Saito's. You see, our first world's planet is called Earth."

I interrupt: "Earth? Who would call a planet a name like that?"

Kuro: "It's because earth is what we're standing on. Does that make sense?" I think of it. Yeah, it makes sense, but it sounds so dull.

Kuro: "Also it has only one moon."

Kirche: "One moon? But does it affect the Earth?"

Kuro sounds surprised: "You know about that?"

Kirche: "Well, I heard from my father, and he heard from some researchers, so…"

Kuro: "Hmm. Glad that someone actually has a mind to do researches. Well, for your question, it affects the Earth like your two moons affecting Halkeginia normally. Anyway, our world is more advanced than yours, however there's a time in the past we're in the same era like yours. And, there's no magic there."

"NO MAGIC?" Everyone looks at me, as I shrink back in embarrassment because of my outburst. I ask again, but in lower tone: "No magic? Then how can your world be more advanced than ours?"

My familiar, no, Saito, decides to answer: "That's because we don't have magic after all. That's why we have to rely on what we can do, and improve it. I will give you an example: Magic can give you fire instantly, but you cannot keep it for a long time. With what we learnt from the past, you can keep the fire as long as you want, even if you're in difficult conditions."

"How do you know?" Surprisingly, this time Tabitha asks him. But, because of her short question, it makes him look at her in confusion. Kuro understands it though: "I think she's asking how we know about magic if our world doesn't have one. Is that right, Tabitha?" She nods, surprised that he understands.

Kuro answers: "That's because, even though we don't have magic, we are aware that magic might exist, just not in our world. We have a lot of fictions and theories from the past to present, but until the time we left there, people couldn't find a solid proof that magic exists among us."

Kirche asks: "Then, how more advanced you are compared to us?"

Kuro thinks a bit, then turns to Saito: "Which global event should we use?"

Saito answers: "How about when Armstrong flew to the moon?"

Professor Colbert nearly drops his note when he hears that: "Are you kidding me? You guys can reach to the moon?" Everyone else is surprised as well.

Kuro nods: "We've also deployed unarmed vehicles to search for life in other planets as well, but so far, none has found."

"But then… how are you going to breath? I thought there's no air there." Kuro turns to me: "Where did you get that knowledge?" " **From my mother."**

Kuro turns to Saito, but doesn't say a word. They are staring at the other's eyes, and no words are spoken.

* * *

Telepathy, Kuro's POV

"This is troublesome. More than one person has knowledge that this world wasn't supposed to know."

"I know, right? The moon and the planet's gravity affection, lack of air in space…those knowledge is not possible for this kind of era. Are you going to find them?"

"Will be, but not now. We need to stick with Tabitha and Louise for a while. We'll meet them in the future, which is a guarantee."

"Fair point."

"Wait, T.O might now. T.O?"

 _I heard you. Yes, I'm aware of that, however The Creator said nothing to me too. But he gave me a clue that:_ _ **Someone from the past will give you the answer.**_

"Hmm…"

"Do you know what he meant, Kuro?"

"Yes, I know. However, it's not very solid."

"So, our next move?"

"Right now, we just have to go with the flow. In the meantime… oh right. Louise is the childhood friend of Tristain's princess, she will visit her in the future. When the time comes, contact me so I would know."

"Roger that."

* * *

Reality, Louise's POV

Tabitha walks to them, and uses her staff to lightly hit them, but none of them react. I ask Professor Colbert: "Professor, what happens to them?"

He is running the possible sceneries in his head now. Then he says, surprise all of us: "I think…we have to throw out the fact they're just commoners now."

Kirche: "What do you mean by that, Professor?"

Old Osmond seems to understand this situation: "They're using some kind of Telepathy spell, right?"

Professor Colbert nods: "Yes. But this spell has to be extremely advanced, if there's no chanting and no pause in between the spell. Either both of them did the spell at the same time, or one of them is extremely powerful." That shocks us even more.

But after a few seconds, they snap back to reality. Kuro looks around and says: "Sorry for the wait. Let me continue my story."

Old Osmond interrupts him: "My apology, but I have to ask first. You two are not commoners, right? No, sorry, not that question. You two can use magic, right?"

Kuro turns to Saito 'oh no not again?' and says 'thanks Founder': "Do we need anything more to say?"

"I don't think so. If we say about religious stuffs, we might overload them."

"We WILL overload them with the second world."

"My point still stands though."

Kuro shrugs and turns to the Headmaster: "I think there's enough about Earth. We can say more in the future. But now, let us speak about our second world, Gamindustri."

That earns a laugh from Kirche: "I'm…I'm sorry. I know the logic of calling your first world's planet Earth, but I cannot see it in that name."

Kuro chuckles: "That's because the second world is mainly a reference in our first world. Anyway, it has five main nations, like yours. Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee, Leanbox, and the Research Land, the last one is newly and do not have the same purpose like the other nations. The nations are existed for about thousands of years, and their leaders are hundred years old or above, while the Research Land is only about a year old. The leaders are called CPU, or Console Patron Unit, and they have…"

"Wait, wait, wait. No human could survive that long. What kind of leaders are they?" No person in history I know lived that long, and even Brimir is only a human being, then…

Saito: "They're **Goddesses,** what do you expect?"

Colbert really drops his note now, as the others are having letter O as their eyes. "God…Goddesses? You have Goddesses in your world?"

Kuro nods: "Yes, Goddesses exists among us. They're the manifestation of citizen's fate and hope. The more people believe in them, the more powerful they are."

Old Osmond asks: "But if that's the case, then what happens if people don't believe in them anymore?"

Kuro: "Then they just get weaker and weaker, to the point they're just normal girls, only their immortality remains."

"That makes them sounds so weak."

Kuro chuckles: "Say that to them when one of them is holding her tower-size sword, or one with hundreds of spears." If you know about Neptunia, you know who we're talking about.

Everyone pales at that point: "Tower-size sword? Hundreds of spears?"

Saito: "Uh-huh. That's why they're called Goddesses. They earn their titles by their own strength, not just their status."

Tabitha asks: "Religious?"

Kuro: "None of it." That makes us all confused. "None of the citizens pray them or anything. We just see the CPUs as how you see your kings and queens: our leaders and our protectors." Then he chuckles: "The funny thing is: If you see how they normally act, you won't believe they're Goddesses. I will say it later. Anyway, about some differences…"

Kirche interrupts: "Hold on. You never said anything about the leader of the new nation. As if she never exists. Also, if Goddesses exist, then does magic too?"

Old Osmond continues: What Miss Zerbst said is true. You only talk about the first four nations, never once about the Research Land. And about magic…"

Kuro says: "Yes, I haven't said anything about the fifth nation's leader, yet. And about magic, yes we have it there. And **everyone can use it.** "

A little silence. Everyone can use it? "But if everyone can use it, then how do you separate social classes?"

Kuro: "No, we don't. It happened in the Earth's past, but the system was destroyed a hundred years ago or so. And it never happens in Gamindustri. If there're social classes, there would be only two: The Goddesses and the people, nothing more. Of course, people who work harder and better get more respect by the others. Other than that, nothing else."

My mind is working like crazy now. Every person from this Gamindustri can use magic, but there's no separation between people? For **a person with no talent in magic like me** , will people still accept me? I know that I'm a Valliere, and I'm proud of that, but… the fact that I cannot do anything related to magic right, and my sisters and my parents are all extremely popular for their talents… No, I have to be strong! I'm a Valliere, I cannot let those thoughts sway me!

Old Osmond speaks: "Interesting…Everyone can use magic? What kind, may I ask?"

Kuro: "Anything you can imagine, really. Oh, and our magic do not simply tie to element, like you all. For example, fly spell has two ways to use: using wind like yours, or casting a spell that counters gravity itself."

Saito interrupts Kuro: "Wait, element tie? This world has limited elements?"

Kuro: "Core elements to be exact: Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Though I'm questioning why it's Air, I'm okay with the others."

Saito nods in agreement: "If that's core element, then I'm okay too."

Old Osmond looks at the familiars in confusion: "Core element?"

Kuro: "You can mix Earth and Fire to create Magma, right?" The Headmaster nods. "Then you don't have to think much about what we have just said."

Tabitha asks: "Goddesses' Element?"

Kuro ponders a bit, but Saito asks me: "But, are there any rules about who can use which kind of spell or not here?"

Colbert answers: "Not really, however most mages here mostly stick with their most powerful elements. Like mine is fire, and Old Osmond here is Earth."

Saito then turns to me, oh no. "Then what's my master's element?"

Silence. My wand hand turns white because I'm holding it too hard, and I'm biting my lips to not let out a shout of frustration.

Saito confuses, and asks again: "Uh, is there something with her? I didn't say anything offending her, did I?"

Old Osmond answers Saito: "The thing is… we don't know."

Saito turns to Old Osmond: "What do you mean?"

Old Osmond: "For some reasons, every spell, simple and complicated, all of them ends in an explosion. We tried to let her do all kind of spell before, however it's always the same result."

Kirche continues: "We nearly thought that she cannot control her magic, however her mother said that that's not her fault, and still let her continue her study. And we're still helping her till now, but nothing works, yet."

Saito asks in surprise: "Wait, you guys don't have any non-elemental spells?"

Colbert shakes his head: "No, not what we have heard, so far."

Saito: "Then… What, T.O?" This T.O again? He then listens to something, but we don't know. Then he turns to Old Osmond: "You guys have a lost element, Void, right? Why don't you let her use that?"

Everyone is surprised when he asks that. I am so angry that I shout at him: "I can't never be a Void mage! I'm not that talented, and that element has lost for thousands of years already, no one knows how to use Void spell! Don't say the impossible here!"

Saito is surprised by my outburst, but before he can say anything else, Kuro puts his hand on Saito's shoulder: "Saito…" Saito turns to him: "What?" "We will talk about that later. I can ask **her** if she knows something about the Void." Someone Kuro knows know about the Void?

Old Osmond says to Kuro: "You say the Void like it's common in your world."

Kuro shakes his head: "We have multiple definitions about the Void. It could be up there…" He points his finger up. "Or in some hidden dimensions that we cannot go by normal means. Your Void can have another definition as well. If you agree, we can help her in trying to use her magic in different ways."

My rage is dying down a bit, but: "Why do you think your way is going to help me? If even my mother cannot help me, then how are you going to do so?"

Kuro: "I'm not **a God** if I…" He puts his hands on his mouth to shut himself up, but the damage has done. He then looks at us. We're having surprised looks again, and Saito is facepalming: "Real smooth, Kuro." "Uh, oops?"

Kirche speaks in her surprise: "Wait, you're a God? Then that means…"

Kuro puts his hand down: "Yeah, I'm the newest God of Gamindustri, and the leader of the newest nation. However, I'm not the same with the Goddesses."

My mind nearly shuts down now. I'm talking to a God, and I was just shouting at him and…

"Then… Saito is…"

Kuro waves his hand: "Oh no. Saito is just normal human, don't worry. And if you're going to ask: "How is he human if he's hundred years old?" then this is my answer: He died when he's on Earth before, but he's reborn in Gamindustri and started a new life."

I calm down a bit, just a bit. The thought of the being before me is something no one can imagine to is too overwhelming.

Tabitha's stoic face now is full of surprised on it. Then she asks: "Rune?"

Kuro then looks at his left hand, and says: "It says 'Death'."

A sudden drop of temperature happens. I fall down on the ground, shaking. Death, the God who's responsible to deal with the dead people? Everyone is also backing up in fear too.

Except Saito. "I think it suits you." WHAT? "I mean, you did die before, right?" WHAT?

"Yeah. I think the spell knows what happened to me, so it scribed the rune like that."

Professor Colbert asks with his shaking voice: "What…happened to you?"

Kuro: "Like I said before, I'm not the same with the other Goddesses, but I will talk about it later. Or maybe in the future, it's kind of late now." True to his words, the sky has turned dark now. "I think I gave you all enough for the time being. I will say more in the future, but definitely not tomorrow. You need time to digest that."

Everyone slowly nods. Kuro then snaps his fingers, and the sound of magic barrier being broken down can be heard clearly. Then he walks to the door, opens it and makes the gesture of a butler: "You guys first."

* * *

Nighttime, did they skip dinner time in anime and novel? I don't know, Louise's Room, Louise's POV

We've just returned from the dinner hall. Some students look at us with weird eyes, because since Saito and Kuro are technically our familiars, they're humans, we decide that they should be treated like one. And, we fear that, if we do something stupid, Kuro might be mad at us. A God, standing right among us… And… Oh no…

Saito asks me curiously: "Did you expect to summon an animal as your familiar?" Right before him is a stack of hay. And like he said, yes, I did expect that…

"I'm…I'm sorry Saito, if I make you mad…"

Saito waves his hand: "Don't worry. I can get over it. Besides, I've prepared." Then he pulls out some kind of floppy tube out of nowhere. Oh right, magic. Also Kuro told us not to share the fact that Kuro and Saito can use magic. We can see why, if a Noble summons another 'Noble', then it would cause trouble and the Church would come to them...

"What is that?" I ask him as I poke the object. It feels so soft.

Saito: "It's a sleeping bag. Its name says it all. You can bring it everywhere, and easy to use."

People in their world sure know how to deal with problems. I then crawl on my bed and start to go to sleep, when Saito suddenly asks: "So, what's your first order, Louise? Or should I say 'master' now?"

I stop a bit. Yes, I really want him to call me 'master', however the fact he's century older than me, and he can beat me up at any second…

"Just call me Louise, and wake me up when it's dawn, okay?" "Okay." Then we both go to bed, or in Saito's case, his sleeping bag.

A bit of silence… "Hey, Saito."

"Yeah?"

"Do you…regret being my familiar?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Because, to us, a familiar determines how powerful their master can be. You're my familiar, and yet, you're more talent and more powerful than me. I'm just a failure of a mage, and…"

"Stop, Louise." I turn silence. "If you can create explosions, even when all of them are just accidents, you have magic, and you're not a failure. It's just that, your world cannot comprehend what kind of magic you have. Don't be so down like. Also Kuro said that he can help you, right? Believe in him."

… "How much can you trust Kuro?"

"If it relates to people's life, I can trust him completely in protect theirs. Even though he's younger than me in mental age, he has spent his time in dark era for a long time. He understands that he has a responsibility to do: save the worlds from overwhelming darkness. And he won't stop until he achieved that, which is never since we both know it's impossible when it comes to sentient beings."

… "I hope I can trust him like you do."

*Chuckles* "You will, Louise. You will."

* * *

Tabitha's Room, Kuro's POV

"Quite a day, isn't it, Charlotte?" I ask Tabitha.

She nods. Right now, she's in her bed already, and I'm sitting on the ground right next to it.

"So, your order?"

… "Wake me up at dawn."

"Wilco. Goodnight, Princess." I chuckle. Well, she'll be one in the future, right?

"Don't. Embarrassing." Her face doesn't change much, but she is blushing now.

I smile, and pat her head. She's slowly drifting into her dream now. And she's out. I blow out the candle start sleeping as well. My back is facing the wall now, sometimes it's nice to sleep like that.

Well, before I'm completely asleep…

'Is anyone there?'

'Kuro? So you're starting your new adventure?'

'Yeah. Luckily you're here, **Arfoire**. I need to ask you something.'

'What is it?'

'Do you know any Void spell?'

'Void? Do my Dark Orb and Dark Spear count?'

'Hmm, maybe. Is there anything else?'

'We might need **Histoire** for that. She lives way longer than me.'

'Can you ask her for me? Some girls here need help.'

'Okay. But do you know where's Saito?'

'He's with me, don't worry. Where's Neptune and Nepgear may I ask?'

'I'm going to tell you: they disappeared. No trace of them…'

'Good.'

'… How is that good?'

'It means the flow of time is not broken.'

'They're decided to be like that?'

'Don't worry, **Histy** will find them. For now, just stick to the plan.'

'I hope you know what you're doing.'

'Of course I do.'

* * *

Longueville's POV

'So, Kuro is here. He's going to ruin my plan, for sure.'

'But, even when he might do that, he can help me in the future.'

'I'm a different person now, no longer **the rat** before. I have something to care about now, and I'm not wasting my second chance.'

'If you can hear me, please help me…'

'Kuro, no, I should call you, **Hybrid Heart.** '

* * *

 **First chapter end!**

 **"Louise and Kirche are too OOC! FIX IT!" That's probably your thought after reading this chapter. Yes, I'm aware of that, however, as you can see, I have CHANGED THEIR PAST a bit. That's why they're not acting the same like the originals. But I will keep their personalities, because that's what make them who they are.**

 **If you think Saito might be OP, then don't worry. He can solo with people like Mott with no problems, but it'll be a bit of a challenge if his opponent is Wardes or better. But, if you have read my first story, then Kuro IS OP, and I won't change that.**

 **Yeah, a little bit of changing in the storyline. Also, there's a reason I put 'Past to present' and 'Zero's another world' in the same title. You'll see it in the future.**

 **Oh, and Longueville knows Kuro. There's a hint about her, though.**

 **SO, my second story has started. Leave a review if you like it, or you want something to make the story better. For now, goodbye, and see you in the next chapters!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and my stories. The others belong to their respective producers.**

 **Chapter 2 is out! A lot sooner than I expected. However, it'll be a little bit shorter since the events are kind of short.**

 **I think I will answer reviews from here now, since some of my answers might related to the chapter.**

 **To balot55: Thanks for the review. I do aware about grammar errors, since English is not my native language, and I'm still trying to improve myself. However, punctuation errors? I didn't stop or pause in the sentences wrong that much, right? About colons, I will try to use less, but asterisks are a must if I want to speak about sounds, not words. And about notes: one, it's my style, but I will reduce the number of notes if it's too annoy for you to read; two, the Creator's words are not simply author's notes, you will see why in this chapter.**

 **To New Universe Returns: Thanks for your kind words.**

 **So without anything else to say, enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

Dream field, Tabitha's POV

"Mama! Mama! Can you tell me a bedtime story?"

"Of course, sweetheart. Which story do you want to hear?"

"I have read a lot of stories in father's library already! Can you tell me something new?"

"Hmm, let me see. Oh! How about the story of the **four Goddesses and the white knight**?"

"OH! I have never heard about it before!"

"But, this is between me and you, okay? This story has never been told before."

"Of course, Mama!"

"Well, let's see. Once upon a time, in another world, there are four nations, each ruled by a Goddess. They're rivals to each other, and always compete to see who's the best one."

"Why are they fighting each other, Mama?"

"It's just a friendly fight, my dear Charlotte. They can compete in any ways, like who can eat the most, or can best the others in some kid games."

"Wow, the Goddesses sound so childish!"

"*Giggles* Yes, they are. But when the world's in trouble, they're always in their best to protect their citizens from any harm. They have been protecting the world for hundreds of years without trouble. But then, one day, the Goddesses were pushed back by a force of darkness they have never met before. This one was filled with sorrow, despair, and destruction."

"Oh no! And the Goddesses?"

"Nearly defeated. Even when they're trying their best, they could not beat it. But then, the knight in his white armor suddenly appeared, and helped the Goddesses fighting the darkness. With his sword and his bravery, he was able to seal the darkness into the sword, as he buried it in a place no one could find it and release the darkness."

"The knight is that good, Mama?"

"He is. However, when he's arrived, the Goddesses were already in the verge of disappearing…"

"Oh no!"

"When they're nearly gone, they asked the knight to be the new ruler to protect their citizens, only when he agreed that they only closed their eyes in peace. After that, the knight announced to everyone the Goddesses' last wishes. But, he didn't become the new ruler."

"Why did he betray the Goddesses' trust like that? I thought he's good."

"He would be the new ruler, however, he found out that the Goddesses had Sisters, that's why he trained them until the point they could become the rulers everybody wanted. Then, one day, he vanished, just like when he appeared."

"Aww! Is it the end?"

"Not quite, sweetheart. After that, people still sometimes saw the figure of said knight wandering around, probably making sure no threat could come near the citizens again."

"So the knight still held his promise to protect people? So he's a good guy after all?"

"He was, and would always be the good guy, Charlotte. And, you should remember this: This white knight can be at our side in the most darkness hour."

"So, I can meet him in the future?"

"It's only a chance, but a chance you want it to happen right? Always wish for it, my dear Charlotte."

"Of course, Mama!"

Sorry for the weird 'bed-time story'. I didn't read enough to write this one.

* * *

Reality, dawn, three days later after the first chapter, Tabitha's POV

The memory… why did it appear now? My mother seems to believe the knight is real, but, other than her story that day, I couldn't find the story anywhere else. And since I have promised her, I never told this to anyone. Is it a sign of something will happen? But, I have hoped that, the white knight can appear and save my mother from the poison she's taken in my place. Everyday, I wish, even yesterday…

"Wake up, little princess. It's dawn."

That voice…it belongs to the person I summoned yesterday. Kuro, isn't it? He keeps calling me princess for some reasons. Do I really look like one now? Or **did he know**? Anyway, I slowly open my eyes to see my room ceiling, and a few rays of light coming from the window. I sit up and look around, however I don't see Kuro anywhere.

"By the time you listen to this, I'm not in the room now."

I look at my table, and see something rectangle is lying on it. When I get out of bed and take a closer inspection, I see two round thingies spinning while it's speaking in Kuro's voice. "I'm going to get my friend up. So, take your time, and meet me in the dining hall, okay? Hope this is enough to wake you up." Then it stops. I pick it with my hand and start looking around it. I even try to see if there's magic in it, but there's none. Is this something normal in Kuro's world? After that, I change to my uniform and pocket the thing, and about to turn the doorknob when…

*Boom!* It shakes my room a bit. Who could have made an explosion in this early in the morning? No, I know who can do that. The question should be: why did she make an explosion this early?

* * *

At that moment, Kuro's POV

What the actual eff just happened?

I left the recorder in Tabitha's room and played it to wake her up, then I walked to Louise's room. I was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened by some kind of force, which pushed me, hard, right to the wall behind me. My bones are not broken thanks to my God status, but it sure as hell hurts. And the wall is cracking now.

Man, I just checked where her room is, and I'm so disappointed that I cannot let you fall down to the ground.

'I'm both happy and angry at you here! Also, screw you for what happened 19 years ago!'

Hey, memes never die!

'I hate you!'

Love you too. And if you don't understand, then I'll give you one word: Noire.

"Are you okay?" I look at the direction of the voice. It belongs to a maid with Asian features, who's walking fast to me. I think that's enough to know who she is, right?

I slowly push myself off the ground and the wall. "I'm fine, Siesta. Thanks for your concern." However, I sway a bit, and she runs to me and holds my arm to keep my balance.

"Are you sure sir? It looks like it hurts a lot."

I smile to her, and she blushes a bit. "I'm fine. This is nothing. But…" I look at the room, then to Siesta. "Can you go and check if my friend is okay?"

Siesta nods and is about to walk in, when Saito stands up, his right hand holding his backside of his head, and he notices me. "Kuro? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to wake you up. What the bloody hell happened here, Adam?"

"I don't know. I was trying to wake Louise up, but then she turned her wand right at me, and I had to duck before…did you get hit by it?"

I point my thumb to the wall behind me: "Take a guess."

He looks behind me, and smiles sheepishly, but then turns back to Louise when she coughs.

"Pervert…" That one word…

I look at him, and he looks back. "What did you do?"

"I did nothing! I swear!"

I sigh: "Just…go out…" As he runs out, I start closing the door, but not before I gave Louise an apologize and told her to meet us at the dining hall.

As we walk to the dining hall (and I can walk normally now), we start exchange words.

"Now, about before…"

"I swear I know nothing, okay? I'm trying to…"

"I know, I know. I guess that she was just having a dream about you. Or rather, your 'intimate' moment with her…"

Both Saito and Siesta blush. Saito nearly shouts: "What are you talking about? We only met a few days, why can she…"

"Do I sound like I'm talking about you?"

Saito takes a moment to think, then: "You mean the original me?"

"Yeah."

"The Creator's work?"

"Maybe…"

Siesta is confused: "What are you two talking about?"

I turn to her: "Oh I'm sorry. Please, don't mind about it. Anyway, do you need any help from us?"

Siesta thinks a bit: "Well, in the morning, not so much. I think it will be more problems in the afternoon. But I shouldn't ask you two to help, since…"

I wave my hand: "Don't worry. We're having lots of time in our hands. You can ask us anything."

Siesta nods: "Well, maybe later. But thank you for your offers. I have to go now, see you later." She bows and leaves. By the way, we met her before, but she doesn't know about our power and our past, yet. She only knows us as Noble's familiars, that's all.

As we're near the dining hall, we see Tabitha and Kirche, the later is holding the recorder I gave to Tabitha, and the record button is pushed. Kirche notices us and: "HEY, DARLINGS! YOU"RE UP! What took you so long?"

Saito: "Just a little problem when I tried to wake Louise up."

Kirche looks at us curiously: "Oh, she wouldn't wake up?"

I answer: "No. But when Saito tried to, she pointed her wand directly at him and fired a spell, which he dodged and it hit me instead. Reason, we don't know."

Kirche: "That's strange…"

I decide to ask Tabitha: "Tabitha, did Kirche say anything pervert about me and Saito?"

She's about to answer, but Kirche uses her free hand to cover her mouth: "Nothing! Nothing my darlings! I was just asking if she saw where you were!" I'm not buying it though.

"Can you give me back the recorder?" I point to the mentioned thing.

Kirche looks at it: "Oh, this thing is yours? Here, you can take it back." As soon as she gives it back to me, I hit the play button instantly, and…

"Where did he sleep usually sleep, Tabitha?"

"On the ground. Next to my bed."

"You didn't offer him to sleep with you?"

"Why?"

"I want to know if he tried to do anything with you last night, okay? He's handsome, and I want to see if he's any good in bed."

I hit the stop button and look at Kirche dryly: "Does this prove my point?"

Her mouth is agape, and Tabitha is surprised, a bit: "How did it…when did…"

"It's called a recorder for a reason. I will let this slide, for now. Let's wait for Louise to come and we go in."

A bit later, Louise arrives, and says her sorry to me for knocking me to the wall. I think my status makes her acting like that, even though I told her to treat me normally. Anyway, we go in, pick our food and get our seats. I and Saito wait for the girls to pray to Brimir first 'why?' 'religious stuffs, don't ask', and we start eating our food. Of course, it won't go unnoticed.

"Why do you two commoners dare to sit with us Nobles?" Short yellow hair, light blue eyes? I honestly don't know what color they are with a rose in his hand, Guiche walks to us and asks with his demanding voice.

Louise speaks to him in annoyance: "What do you want, Guiche?"

Guiche: "Why are you letting these two sitting in the same table with you? You forgot all of your pride of being a Noble already? Or right, you can't even do any spells properly!"

You know, I'm a little bit annoyed by this guy. I know he can be fixed, but in this moment: "You're being rude to your classmate, mister Guiche. You forgot all of your manners of a Noble already?"

Some students chuckle at my retort. Guiche is a bit angry: "Don't tell me what I need to do commoner! Or should I show you where you should stand right now?"

"You should take care of your 'girlfriend's problems' before showing me anything, gay-boy." I have no intention to insult anyone, however if I need to act like a jackass, then I will.

Everyone gasps at my exclamation, and Guiche is red from anger and embarrassment: "Watch your tongue! Don't you insult my good looking like that!"

I smirk: "Is that why you don't have any girlfriends yet? I feel pity for you."

Guiche shouts: "Why you!"

Luckily Montmorency walks to us and pulls her 'boyfriend' away: "Stop it Guiche. You're just embarrassing yourself, talking to them like that…"

"But…but…" And he's gone.

Tabitha looks at me: "Necessary?"

"No, but I need him to go away. He's a bit of annoying."

Kirche suddenly asks me: "I almost forgot. We know that Saito is over 100 by his mental, but how old are you?"

"Just over 60, why?"

Louise: "Well, because the way you speak, it sounds like you're even older than Saito."

"Because Saito lived his life on his own, like, his life is his and no one is interfering it. I, however, had to act as **every single citizen for 7 years** , that's why I have to make myself older."

Tabitha: "Reason?"

I sigh: "It's…something I don't like to speak now."

They drop the subject and continue the breakfast. After that, we go to the school field, and…

"By the way, Kirche, where's your familiar?"

Kirche has a look of realization: "Oh right! I forgot to introduce him with you two. Flame! Come here!"

A large red lizard comes to us. A salamander to be more exact. But when he looks at me…

"He knows how dangerous I am, doesn't he?"

"Maybe…Can you get him off me, Kirche?"

"I think he will get off, once Kuro's not around."

Yeah, Flame decides to cling on Saito, which bothers him just a little.

"By the way, Kuro."

"What is this, Saito?"

"Why do Kirche and Louise remind me of our Goddesses?"

"I feel the same, not just you."

It perks their interest. Louise asks me: "We remind you two of your Goddesses?"

I nod, and pull out a photo. This one is in the animation. But there're some differences: Histy is above Neptune, Histoire is behind Nepgear a bit, Schwarz and Weiss are next to IF and Compa, Emerald is next to Chika, Falcom and Saito is in the right of the picture, and Kuro is in the middle with Arfoire. Brave and Magic are not here, sorry you two. The two start looking at it in awe.

Kirche: "Woah! So many beautiful and cute girls! Wait, why're there so many girls in this picture?"

"Most of the population in Gamindustri are girls. You can still see the boys around, but they're not very stand out."

Louise: "You have fairies there, too? But why is there a woman who looks like her?"

"Histy is one-of-a-kind. She is the tome, the recorder of history of the whole Gamindustri. The woman behind her is Histoire too, or Histy, so we have to call the smaller one 'Histy'. She's from another world as well."

Tabitha: "Another world?"

"There're multiple versions of Gamindustri. The bigger Histoire is from one of them."

Louise: "Is the girl in white and the woman in green…"

"Yeah. You two remind us of them: Blanc and Vert, or also known as White Heart and Green Heart."

Kirche: "So, they're like us?"

"You're like Vert, however Blanc is kinda a combination of Louise and Tabitha, to be honest."

Tabitha: "Similar…Family?" She's pointing to Schwarz and Weiss. Nice shot, Tabitha.

"They're my kids." The girls look at me in surprise. "The girl with the letter C on her head is Compa, the girl with the leaf bow is IF, and they're my wives' counterparts." They nod, then the truth sinks in.

"WIVES?" Louise and Kirche shout at the same time.

"Yeah. You didn't hear wrong. And…" I point to Falcom. "She is this guy's wife." I point to the Saito in the picture. "And he is this guy right here." I point back to the real Saito.

They're speechless. Hehe, a shock to them.

"I think we broke them, Kuro."

"Yep, we did."

After a while, they return the picture to me, still shocked of the information.

"Welp, they're not returning back soon. You want some ice cream?"

"Ice cream? Here?"

"I will go to the kitchen and ask the Chief to get us some. You wait here, okay?"

"Of course. Come back soon, okay?"

* * *

Kitchen, Kuro's POV

"Uh, hello? Is the Head Chef in here?"

"I'm here. Hello, mister. What do you need?"

"Can I ask for some desserts for my friends? Their minds are being fried now."

"Fried? What do you mean?"

"Overload information. I want some ice cream to cool them down."

"All right. Wait here. I will get some for you."

"Thank you, Head Chef."

"That's my job."

A while later…

"Here you go, sir."

"Thank you very much, mister…"

"Marteau, and you're welcome."

I bring the tray of ice cream glasses to where our group is. But…

"Where did you get this from?"

"I have told you, Mistress. I found it on the ground. I thought it was from Mister Guiche, so I tried to return it to him."

"That's a lie, Mon-Mon. I don't know where it's from."

This two-timer… I put the tray on the table of our group, who just now notice me, and walk to the scenario.

"What's going on here?"

Guiche: "It's none of your business, commoner."

"Oh! It's my business if you mess with the people around you. Tell me what happened."

Montmorency answers: "I was just walking with Guiche here, when this maid walked to us and said that Guiche dropped this bottle. But when I saw it, I recognized that's one of Katie's perfume bottle."

"Then why're you blaming the fault to Siesta, Guiche?"

Guiche: "That's because I don't know about it. How could I drop something that's not mine?"

I turn to Montmorency: "Then why don't you ask Katie directly, miss…"

"Montmorency. But she's not available now, so…"

I sigh, and pull out my recorder. "Screw this." I pull out the old cassette and put another one in. "You two, listen to this." I press the play button…

Katie: "I'm good at baking souffles."

Guiche: "Then I would love to try one."

"Really?"

"Of course, Ketty. I wouldn't lie to your eyes."

Guiche is sweat dropping in fear now, and Montmorency is furious.

Guiche: "There's nothing hidden behind my feeling for you."

Katie: "Oh, you're sweet. Here, can you accept this perfume as a gift for you?"

"Of course. I cannot deny such a beautiful present from a pretty girl like you."

Guiche is about to snatch my recorder, but I retract my hand in time. "Well, is that enough proof? It happened last night, mind you."

Montmorency looks at me: "Thank you, sir." Then turns back to Guiche: "What are you going to say for yourself?"

Guiche is still trying to find his way out: "That's not the truth. That commoner just made all of them up."

"Ask the girl in question herself, miss Montmorency. She's walking to you." Then I put the recorder back to my pocket, which I actually open the hammerspace in it, and push Siesta to our group. "Let's get some ice cream, Siesta." Once we're back to the table, I pick up two glasses with spoons and give Siesta one, which she hesitantly accepts and starts eating.

"Kuro?" I look at Tabitha. "Trouble?" "Will be." "Hurt?" "Who?" "You." "No." "Guiche?" "Maybe."

The others look at me in awe. I look at them back. "What?"

Saito snickers: "I think I see why you're her familiar. You can understand each other quite easily."

I and Tabitha look at each other, then shrug and continue our desserts. The others follow.

When I nearly finish my glass:

"What are you going to say for yourself, commoner?"

"You should get some salt to rub on that burn on your face." Every boy around is laughing at him and at my sentence.

"That's it! I have enough of you! I'm challenging you to a duel!"

Louise stands up: "That's against the rule, Guiche!"

"Not between a Noble and a commoner! What are you going to do, now?"

"When and where?"

"Vestri Court, half an hour later. Don't be late!" And he walks away.

Kirche says after he left: "So, how're you going to fight him?"

I speak, while still eating: "Don't know yet."

Saito asks: "Are you going to use magic?"

"Maybe, I don't know. T.O?"

 _Your choice._

"Creator?"

The same.

"Magic it is, then."

Tabitha: "Which kind?"

I wonder.

Siesta asks in surprise: "Wait, mister Kuro can use magic?"

Tabitha nods: "Yes. Saito too."

Siesta looks at Saito, who just makes his hand lit on fire causing her to yelp in surprise.

Kirche: "So, your answer?"

I bring up my left hand, and the rune shines: "This."

* * *

Vestri Court, Kirche's POV

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IT'S A DUEL! GUICHE VERSUS TABITHA'S FAMILIAR!"

"Guiche is so dead." I say. There's no way Guiche can win against Kuro.

"Tell me about it." Louise's voice is bored too.

"What? You're expecting Guiche can pick up a fight?"

"No, quite the opposite. But, does he really go through everything just for this?"

"Well, it's Kuro for you. Don't apply the word 'logic' on him."

"Isn't he your friend, Saito? Shouldn't you help him?"

"Nah, no need. I hope he won't go too overboard, that's all."

"Death?"

"No death. But beaten up hard."

Then we return to the fight.

"I'm surprised you're not running away."

"Like you're trying to escape from the two lovely ladies? Nah, I have my own pride, unlike you." That earns a lot of laughs from the audience.

"You're really getting on my nerve! My name is Guiche the Bronze. Your opponents will be my Valkyries!" As he waves his rose, the petals fall to the ground and construct into many armor-clad shape of female warriors.

Kuro yawns: "That's it? Boring…"

"You…let's see how you can keep that attitude after this!" He orders one Valkyrie to sprint towards and attacks Kuro. And Kuro… does nothing to block it, as he received a number of punches from the structure! What is he thinking? More and more students start cheering for Guiche, and he's having a smirk on his face.

After a while, Kuro stands there, with the fist of the Valkyrie connecting to his stomach. Guiche starts talking: "Well now, you see why you shouldn't mess with us Nobles? You should have watched your tongue from the beginning." And he's laughing out loud. This guy…

"Grade A, for effort." Kuro suddenly speaks up. Guiche hears it, for sure.

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Grade A, for effort." Kuro raises his head up, he's smiling and showing no pain. "But grade F, for performance." Then he punches the Valkyrie in front of him, the punch was so powerful that it knocks the structure into another one, causing both of them to collapse instantly.

Everyone is silenced after that. A 'commoner' just received tons of hits from a Valkyrie, and he showed no pain and just crashed two with just one punch.

I would be shocked too, but…

"Like I said, Kirche. Don't put logic on him. It doesn't work."

Guiche is a bit shocked after that, however he recovers quickly: "It seems you're not bad. But that's just one. Let's see if you can handle many!" As he says so, he commands three more to attack Kuro, this time with their spears. Kuro sidesteps to the right this time, and grabs the tip of the spear of the nearest one and slams the Valkyrie down to the ground, turning it into scraps. Then he grabs the handle and spears the other two, instantly destroys them. Guiche then sends five more, but Kuro just swings his spear and shatters all of them in one swing. Then in panic, he sends all of his remaining Valkyries to attack Kuro. They're all pointing their swords and spears to him. Kuro then drops his spear, puts his right hand to his coat pocket, his left hand is gesturing that he's going to snap his fingers. Then… he snaps them. All of the Valkyries instantly blow to dust right on the air. Everyone is shocked by it, even Guiche, as he's falling to the ground to avoid any debris that could hit him.

"What…what are you? How can you defeat my Valkyries so easily?"

Kuro stands there, looking at pathetic-looking Guiche, then he smiles. Then a laugh, a maniac laugh. His rune shines up, and the shadow below him rises up…

"I don't know about how you're thinking about me, but… I'm definitely NOT a commoner." His left eye is having some kinds of runes spinning, and a figure is floating just above him. That figure is…

"Death." Tabitha says, in her surprise. Yes, Death. The life consumer, the deity who's responsible to stable the cycle of life and death. And it appears right in front of us, in its fullest. Warp itself in a black cloak, it's just a huge skeleton, with a massive scythe that it uses to harvest the souls of the death people. And its interest right now: Guiche. Kuro is laughing like a psychopath, and he's looking right into Guiche's soul, while the figure above is swaying his scythe lazily, waiting for its master's command to do its job. Guiche is trying to crawl away, with no success, as Kuro suddenly teleports right before him, and uses his right foot to stomp right on Guiche's leg, causing him to scream in pain. Then the figure suddenly swings its scythe down, the blade closely stops right in front of Guiche's face, causing his face to be even paler. Everyone is scaring right now, and they're holding their breath, and praying that Guiche, by a miracle, can survive through this.

"Now…What should I…do to you?" Kuro's voice is no longer clear, it's like multiple voices saying at once. "A quick, instant death? Or a slowly and painfully one?"

Guiche is shaking his head like crazy: "NO! PLEASE NO! PLEASE, SPARE MY LIFE!"

"Oh? Spare your life…Hehehe… Why should I…When you didn't do it before?" The figure is making the same smile as Kuro now. It's so creepy! "How about this? I kill your 'girlfriends' after I kill you…so you can 'play' with them when you're in Hell. Is that…okay?" He's asking sweetly, the sweet of a sadistic, oh Founder!

"NO! NO! NO! PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

A moment later…

"I will take that as a yes." And the figure swings its scythe down in full force.

"NO!" *Splash*

Everyone gasps. Many of us turn away in fear, while some stand up to see if Guiche was killed or not. All of us are wearing looks of worried and scared now.

One second…

Two seconds…

Three…

Four…

Is…Is Guiche…really dead? Is he…killed?

Then…

"HAHAHA! Oh my god! You have to look at your face right now! HAHAHA!" That's Kuro, but he's laughing normally now. The figure suddenly disappeared, and everything turns back to normal, like, nothing has ever happened. Everyone in the audience lets out a sigh of relief that Guiche survives. Kuro then kneels down to Guiche's scared face: "Luckily for you, I have no intention to kill you. You made mistakes, and you tried to push those problems to the others. However, I know that you can be redeemed, so I'm giving you a chance now. Go and apologize to the girls, and fix your habits, okay?" Guiche is nodding furiously now, Kuro smiles and pats Guiche's arm, stands up and walks to us, which makes a lot of students to back away from him as far as possible.

When he reaches us, he shows his toothy smile: "Well, everything is okay now. How about some tea?"

* * *

A little later, Kuro's POV…

Kirche finally asks after a long silence: "So, what's that before?"

"It seems the rune is not Death itself, but it gives me another form of my Dark form."

Saito: "Really dude? Your Dark form is bad enough already, combining with it just makes everything worse."

"Heh, those're just scare tactics. Just don't piss me off next time."

Guiche: "Won't be any next time. I learnt from the hard way." I invited Guiche and Montmorency too. Unfortunately, Siesta couldn't join us, since she has works to do.

"Glad that you learnt. Anyway, do you have any plans for the Void day?"

Saito: "Void day?"

"Basically it's weekend to us."

Louise: "I'm going to the city to get more supplies for my studies. What about you two?"

Kirche: "Not so sure. I think I'll stick with you guys."

Tabitha this time has her book with her now. I ask her: "Do you need something, princess?"

I receive a whack from her staff to the face. "No."

"Do you need anymore books?"

"Currently, no."

Suddenly my N-Gear rings up. I pick it up and open the hologram-cam option, and…

"One-two-three, one-two-three, is this thing on, Nepgear? Oh hey it's Kuro!"

"What? Kuro? He received our call as well?"

The face of Neptune is filling the whole screen, as she's pushing her face to it.

"Neptune, can you push yourself out of the screen? You're blocking the view."

Neptune does so, and asks me: "Where have you been? We've been stuck here for a while already!"

"Sorry, no can do this time. I'm in another universe with Adam."

"AH, SHUSH! Why are you not there when we need you the most?"

"Kuro, can you connect to Histy as well? She's also receiving our call, as we're speaking."

"Roger." I swipe my hand horizontally, and another screen appears next to the first one, and Histy appears.

"Kuro, thanks goodness. You're here."

"Hi Histy. Is everything okay back there?"

"It's still stable. ASIC is helping us in defending Planeptune during the Goddesses' absences now. However, citizens are worried sick about their leaders."

Nepgear: "Right now, we're in an old facility in Zero Dimension. We've just arrived here and Histy has took the call instantly. You're a bit later."

"Is that a transporter facility? Histy, you can open a portal to get them back from there."

"I would do so if I can. However, the other side also needs to be able to do the same."

"Nepgear, can you do something with it?"

"I will try, but there're lots of missing parts. It'll take me a while to find some items and to reconstruct the machine."

"Hyperdimension is not in risk now, so don't need to…"

"HEY! NEPSY! GEARSY! WHO'RE YOU TALKING TO?" I hear a voice in the background.

"Is that **Uzume** , you two?"

"Yeah. She is…"

"Woah! Two screens? One is Histy and…who are you mister?" Red pigtails, orange eyes, white jacket with orange tie and black tube top, and gray pleated shorts. Yep, Uzume alright.

"My name is Kuro. I think these two…" I'm pointing at Neptune and Nepgear. "Had told you about me, hadn't they?"

"Oh. You're that Kuro? But… I thought you're older…"

"Same question every time. Yeah, I'm this young."

"And…who're the people sitting behind you with their mouths open?"

I look left and right. Yeah, they're shocked now. Better introduce now…

"You guys want to introduce yourself or not?"

Tabitha looks at me and points at the screen, whispers: "Goddesses?"

"Yes."

Neptune notices her: "OH HEY THERE! You look so much like Blanc! What's your name?"

Tabitha is a little surprise when Neptune says to her, but she greets back: "Tabitha."

Neptune: "Oh! A not-so-talkative girl? Well, I'm Neptune. I'm the Main Protagonist of the Protagonists. Nice to meet you all!" No answer, yet. "Are you so shocked about my beautiful bod that you're speechless? I'm so flattered."

Yeah, no, I'm not letting her say anymore. "Nepgear, can you introduce yourself, more proper than Neptune please?" "AH! YOU'RE MEAN, KURO!"

Nepgear complies and bows to us: "Hello everyone! My name is Nepgear, the Planeptune's CPU Candidate. It's nice to see many friendly faces around Kuro. Hope you're going to be good friends." Yeah, good friends, especially after that…

Guiche nearly turns back to his flirtatious self when Montmorency stops him: "Don't you dare flirt to the other girls!" Then she turns to Nepgear: "Nice to meet you. My name is Montmorency. And this idiot is Guiche, my boyfriend."

Nepgear looks at Guiche: "Well, he's sure handsome." Nepgear, no! "Unfortunately, I already have someone for me. Sorry." Thank you, Uni! Or Brave, if you're lucky!

Kirche then starts speaking: "Hello Nepgear. My name is Kirche. And this…" She is grabbing Louise's arm in her chest, which makes her squeak in surprise: "Pink mob is Louise." "Hey, let go of me! I can introduce myself! And put those things away!" "Why? You're so cute."

Nepgear watches these two interacting with each other, then she turns to me: "They're reminding me of…"

"Yeah. Saito said it before. And miss Tabitha here is like calm and cool Blanc."

"She likes books, too?"

"Yeah. And Uzume…"

"How did you know my name?"

"Ask Neptune and Nepgear later. Can you introduce yourself?"

"I suppose." She turns to everyone else, as they're staring at her. "Hello! My name is Uzume Tennouboshi. Yeah, my name is pretty badass. Don't need to compliment more."

Silence…

Uzume is very confused, and probably afraid that her 'cool' meter just goes down: "Eh…What's…that reaction?"

"Uzume..." She turns to me: "Your name is cool, I admit, but that introduction is not…very well. Try to think something more…creative next time, okay?"

Uzume's voice is shaking a bit: "You…you think my name…is cool, right?" I nod. "YES! AT LEAST ONE NOTICES IT! Alright, I'm going to improve my introduction, and then…" She starts walking away, her shouting can still be heard though.

Louise then asks me: "May I ask, is there a connection between Neptune and Nepgear?"

Neptune overhears that: "Of course there is. Nep Junior is my little sister!"

Kirche: "You're…the older one? I'm sorry, but I think Nepgear is the bigger sister here."

Nepgear smiles nervously: "We get that a lot. But Neptune is truly my big sister. I'm not as cool as she is."

Tabitha is not convinced, though. "Proof?"

Neptune smiles: "Of course I have one! Watch this!" Then her body shines, so much that most of the students have to cover their eyes, except Tabitha. Then, when light dies down…You know what it is.

"Now, do you believe that I'm the Big Sister?" Neptune, now as Purple Heart, asks the stunned students. They're overwhelmed by her beauty *cough* body *cough* that they cannot say a word. Then Kirche nods and says: "I believe you now. So that means you two are the Goddesses?"

Purple Heart asks: "Oh? Kuro has told you about us?"

Louise finally finds her voice back: "He did, but he only showed us your picture with the others, and he hasn't pointed out who're the Goddesses. We found Green Heart and White Heart though, since he said we're similar to them."

She giggles: "Well, I see why he said like that. Your similarities are uncanny, in a good way."

Guiche, after snapping out of his daze, asks Louise in his surprised tone: "Wait, you said Goddesses, you meant… the actual Goddesses?"

She nods. "Yes. And Kuro here is a God too."

Guiche and Montmorency look at me, their eyes are open as large as possible. Then they kneel on the ground, their heads touching it. "WE'RE SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE OUR DISRESPECT TOWARDS YOU!"

I pinch my nose bridge in defeat, as Purple Heart giggles: "Did you do something to them?"

"The boy tried to pull a me on two girls but failed, and he blamed me instead and challenged me in a duel. He lost, obviously."

Nepgear laughs nervously: "Hehehe… I think no one could pull a you that easy in that matter…"

Guiche is confused for sure: "What do you two mean by 'pull a me'?"

"To put it in simple, I have two wives and two kids at the same time. Saito here also has a family too."

Silence again.

 _You broke them, again._

"Yeah. They're so fragile." I turn back to the screen, well, to Histy first. "Sorry for the fiesco, Histy. Do you need anything else?"

Histy shakes her head: "I don't think so. Oh, right, Falcom asked me to ask you if Adam is okay. Is he there with you?"

"He's here." I point at him, who waves back at Histy. "Hi."

Histy: "… That's not Adam…"

"That's Adam, but right now he's Saito Hiraga. Falcom will understand, or…" I turn back to Adam. "You told her, right?"

"Yes."

I look back: "That's your answer."

Histy: "…What's your case, Adam?"

"Reincarnation, Histy."

Histy nods. "All right. If there's nothing else, I will close the call. Hope you have good time in your adventure."

"Thank you." Oh, right. "Oh, I almost forgot. How much do you know about the Void?" That got EVERYONE's attention.

Histy blinks: "Void? Sorry, but why don't you ask Arfoire? I think she's better than me…"

"I asked her, but she only uses Dark Orb and Dark Spear regularly. Is there nothing about it in your past?"

Histy shakes her head: "Not from what I know."

"That's troublesome."

Histy: "Why do you need it anyway?"

"Well…"

"How about Rei?" Surprisingly, the one giving the suggestion is Neptune. "When she teleported us, she used some kind of Void teleportation, right?"

I think a bit… It's true that the portal looked like it's made from the Void, but the concept might be different…

"I will think about it. Meanwhile, Neptune, turn back to your human self, don't waste too much power."

"Of course." Another light occurs. "So, when will you two come back?"

"Eh, not so sure. Maybe nine volumes?" No one understands that, except Neptune.

"That long?"

"Like I said, not sure. Maybe shorter…All right, goodbye you three."

"Take care! / Be careful. / Take care, Kuro and Adam." The screens turn off.

Louise turns to me, and gives a look of 'are you crazy?': "Why did you talk about the Void so openly like that?"

I shrug: "Everybody would know, eventually. And Saito…" He turns to me: "About you using magic, I won't stop you, however, you need to be careful. You're not immortal, or undead like me, people could find a way to hurt you, or worse, people you care about. Right now, it means…"

"Louise and her friends, I got it. I know about this. You're not screwing around when it comes to everyone's safety, huh?"

"That's why I'm still walking. If not, I would have just laid down and let everything goes by its own. So…" I call out one of my katana and throw it to Adam, which makes him catch it in surprise. "Care for a little spar? I hope that you won't disappoint me, A-Rank Hunter Adam."

* * *

 **Chapter 2 end!**

 **Yeah, Kuro vs Guiche. Even if it's Saito vs Guiche, Guiche would be wrecked either way. I mean, Kuro is OP like I have said before, and Saito actually has a hundred years of living (mentally) and probably 20 years of fighting monsters (he's A-Rank for a reason).**

 **So the gangs met the Goddesses of Planeptune. Nice conversation so far.**

 **Nearly forgot, the cringy 'bed-time story' is a make-up that I hope I won't do again. That's just...so poorly written. But, it's a little hint for what Tabitha is. Not 'was', but 'is'.**

 **Also, I have updated my profile. If there's something that might confuse you, maybe my profile will help you with it, so that you won't have to read my previous story.**

 **Well, you know what I will do in the next chapter. See you when the chapter is out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing aside my OCs and my stories.**

 **Chapter 3 is out now. I don't have anything to say, for the moment, so... Enjoy reading everyone!**

* * *

Void day, Saito's POV

"You two just had to go overboard like that."

"Sorry. But at least Kuro fixed the yard back, right?"

"But you still disturbed everyone around. That's more troublesome than the destroyed yard."

'Look, I have said my apology, okay? Don't need to repeat it again.'

Let's just say, our fight after chapter 2 'can I?' Of course, just don't do it too often was kind of overwhelming to the mages. And in the heat of the battle, we forgot that we're in Halkeginia, which means **the immortality system Kuro built for Gamindustri** doesn't work here. So, we destroyed the wall next to our fight, and nearly wrecked the whole yard. After that, we apologized to everyone around and Kuro fixed back the yard with his power, but it has become the story to the students to talk about. Now they also know that I can do magic too, and they fear me too since I can stand against Kuro, albeit with difficulty.

"Well, on the plus side, I know that both of my darlings are very powerful."

'You're still not over that? I thought we said about our families already?'

"Hey, you have two wives right? One more would not be a trouble."

'Oh my god…Why?'

"Thought you would be happy with that?"

'Of course I would be. But… I don't think my wives will agree…'

"They know about you right? Besides, many people like you, and you should response to their feelings right."

'*Sigh* But, I need to talk to them after I found them, okay?'

"Of course. By the way, how much further?"

'Hmm, about 2 minutes.'

"You know, you could just call one of the choppers right? You don't have to **transform into a dragon…** "

Yeah. When we heard that it's gonna take three hours to ride a horse from the Academy to Tristania, Kuro just threw his hands to the air and cursed in his language, judging by his tone, and then changed to Blue-eyes White Dragon from Yugioh and told us telepathically to climb on him, then he took off to the destination.

'Well, it's for little princess here…'

*WHACK*

'OUCH!'

"Stop… Embarrassing…"

"Why do you keep calling her princess, Kuro? You like her more than me?"

'Seeing her blushing is cuter than you doing the same. I'm not saying you're not cute, but your maturity kind of negates it.'

"You're into someone like Tabitha or Louise?"

'Well, in some way, yes. Oh, we're arrived. Let's go down.'

We land outside of the city. The gate guards are surprised and are about to attack Kuro, but they see us going down from his back, and he turns back to normal, so they let us in like normal, but with caution. Can't blame them, a dragon that size is not something to joke about. Then I and Kuro just follow wherever Kirche and Louise pull us to. Tabitha walks with us since Kuro insisted her to come even though she don't need anything. But most of the time we stop at clothes' shops, and Kirche just pushes all of us inside and forces Tabitha and Louise to change clothes for us to 'enjoy their beauties'. I feel so complexed here. On one side, I really enjoy it, but, I feel like Falcom's going to kill me the moment she finds me out. I see that Kuro smiles every time, but his smile is extremely strained. Maybe he's having the same problem like me.

Then after the girls are done, and we're about to go back, then my rune suddenly shines a bit. I grab it so it wouldn't attract the surrounding, as I ask Kuro: "Kuro, how does my rune shine like this? I'm not holding a weapon right now."

Just a day before, Colbert told me about the rune I have. Apparently it's written Gandalfr, The Left hand of God. With this rune, I'm able to use any kind of weapons professionally without any practices. And it further proves that Louise is indeed a Void mage, since the first Gandalfr is Brimir's familiar, and there's no other from that time to present bore the same rune. But they cannot explain about Kuro's rune, they've never heard about a rune with that straight-up title like his. And after our 'battle showcase' before, they believed that he's even more powerful than Brimir himself. Well, ain't that the truth. He did blow up a universe before, so that's not very shocking to me. But we didn't tell about it, yet.

But the rune suddenly shining up is not normal.

Kuro seems to know why: "How about we go into that weapon shop?" Indeed, right at the corner, a shop with the sign decorated by a shield and cross blades is lying there. We told the girls to wait for us at the center part of the city and go in. Inside the store, we see multiple kinds of weapons being hang on the wall, however with no organization. The shopkeeper himself is not very…friendly, and he's eyeing us very carefully. An eye of a trickster…he's planning to trick us, for sure.

Kuro asks the old man: "Hello mister. We're here to buy some weapons. Do you have any suggestions?" You're triggering a trap, Kuro.

The old man asks him: "Why would a Noble like you want to buy a sword? Is it for your guard there?" This guy is assuming I'm Kuro's servant. Well, let's play that role for now.

Kuro probably has the same idea: "One for him, and one for me as well. Better be prepared during this time, right?"

The keeper then shows his toothy smile: "Oh, of course. Let me find some for you two."

Kuro is smiling patiently and waiting for the old man. That's the outside look, because…

'He reminds me of Warechu.'

'You think? Seriously, why are we here?'

'Let the rune guide you.'

I don't understand him at first, however the rune starts shining more. I move my hand around, and the rune radiates more light in that…particular barrel. I walk there and check it. None of them seems to be in good conditions. Well, at least, from how I view it. I slowly move my hand to each of the swords, then, I stop at one. This one, it was covered in rust, but other than that, when I pull it out, it's in perfect condition to be a weapon. The rune shines brightly once, then it subdues. It seems…

"Sorry for keeping you two waiting. Here, take a look at this." He puts a big sword on the table, with a golden blade and too much jewelry on the two-handed handle. I pick it up with my left hand (I keep the previous sword on my right hand), but rune doesn't shine one bit. Like I thought, this one is not a weapon, it's only for decoration. This guy is trying to take money from us.

"It's… kind of heavy."

"Of course. It should be wielded by both of your hands. Why do you think that…" But he's silenced when I throw it to Kuro, who catches it in one hand and swings the sword around with no problem. Then he looks at the keeper and asks: "A nice sword. How much is it?" What?

"Hoho… You have keen eyes, sir. It's made by the famous Germanian alchemist Lord Shupei. It can cut through metal easily because it's magic infused. You can't get it anywhere cheaper than here."

"Hmm, interesting…" Kuro, you should do what I hope you should do now. "How much?"

That guy grins: "Two thousand ecus, or…" Then his face pales when Death appears above Kuro, which is pointing its scythe to the seller, and Kuro is having the sadistic grin.

"Hehe… You really think we would fall for that trick? Anyone could see that this sword is useless if you want to fight with it, it's only for fun. Now, either you give me this sword and the sword my friend is holding right here…" He points to the rusty sword. "Or, I could end your life right now, or I will tell the princess about how bad you run this shop. None of them is pretty, right?" The old man is cowering in fear now, and he nods furiously.

"Please, don't kill me!"

"Hehe…well, I will let you live, for now…" Death disappears. "But, the next time I see you, you should be more honest to the customers, and try to make this shop better, or else…"

"YES! OF COURSE! I WILL!"

"Good. Have a nice day."

Later…

"Why did I forget that you can trick people with your sweet acts like that?"

"You're not around me enough time, my friend. Even I could trick my old friends with that kind of act."

"But… oof!" I bump into someone, or rather, some girl. She's wearing a white dress, and she's having a veil so I cannot see her face. She is also wearing a purple cloak which has a hood that covers her head, but I still can see a bit of her purple hair. And she's wearing high heels…strange…

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there. Bye!"

"Don't wor… hey, wait up!" But she's already running away from us.

"The girl is weird, right, Kuro?" No answer. "Kuro?" I look at him. He's pinching his nose bridge. What?

"This girl…"

"You know her?"

"EVERY citizen knows her. T.O, can you protect her until she gets back?"

 _With pleasure._

"Wait, what's so important about her?"

"Well, she is…"

* * *

Later, ?'s POV

Why did I get into this situation?

Moments ago, I bumped into two citizens. I thought that they're going to do something, so I ran immediately. But now, it happened again, and I was cornered into a dead end, before me are two dangerous-looking guys.

"Why are you running like that? You should apologize for what you have done!"

"Yeah! Bumping into us, and you think you can get away with that! Hell no!"

"Please…stop…I'm sorry, okay? I didn't want to…"

"Blah blah blah! I don't want to hear it! Right now, you have to pay us something back!"

"Yeah! Your body will do!"

Why did this happen to me? If I just listened to **her** and walked with her instead, I would not have this situation. I could use my **magic** to get away, but my identity will be revealed. What can I do now?

I whisper: "Please…someone…help me…"

"You two don't have anything else to do?" All three of us look at the direction of the road. Right now, leaning against the wall is a man in a completely black outfit, even his hat and the scarf. Its design was supposed to be worn in the winter, but the man shows no sign of discomfort in it. He then pushes himself out of the wall and stands in the middle of the alley, completely stops the way out.

"Hey! Who the hell are you? Don't interrupt our conversation here!"

"Yeah! Scam, now!"

"From what I see here, you're trying to do… inappropriate stuffs here with this helpless girl here. As a man I am, I'm going to stop you two from that."

"Bah! Let's see you can say like that after we beat you up!" The first one runs to him and delivers a right hook to the black man, however he uses his left hand to block the hook and uses his right arm to chop on the bully's arm, breaking it and causing him to nearly scream if the black man doesn't use his right hand to grab his opponent's head and slam him to the wall, causing him to faint instantly. The second one, after seeing the first one being defeated like that, roars angrily and runs to the black man, tries to get a revenge. But the black man uses his right hand to backslap the second one to the other wall, making the same result.

That happens just in a span of 10 seconds. I am too shocked to do anything, but when the black man steps one step to me, I take a step back because of the fear. The man realizes that and just stands there, raises his right hand towards me, gesturing me to follow him.

"It's not safe here, miss. You should get out of here and go home. I will protect you during the way."

I want to trust him, but after the display… "Won't you… do anything to me?"

The man chuckles: "If I want to, I would do it sooner. Come, let's go."

A little later, we get out of the dark alley and start walking on the main street. People are focusing at him since he's wearing strange clothes that's not the right time to wear. He doesn't mind it, for some reasons.

"So…uh…Why did you help me back then?"

"Well, you remembered the guys you bumped into before?"

I cringe a bit. Those guys…

"Oh, I'm sorry, not them. Before that. A guy in a blue jacket and a guy in a long white coat."

Oh, them…

"I…did remember them. Why?"

"Well, the guy in the white coat is my…brother. Let's put it that way. He saw you running, and he asked me to look after you, until you got home."

… "Why did he care? And why did you agree to do so?"

"It's the right thing to do, that's all. Besides, we're brothers. We always trust each other's words."

I'm in my thought now. If **the Nobles** can be like these two, then Tristania, no, the whole Halkeginia is a more peaceful place to live.

He notices me dazing out: "What's the matter, miss?"

I snap out of my thought and look at him. "Nothing. Everything is okay."

He nods. "I see. Well, I think introduction should be a go. You first, lady."

Should I tell him my name? If he knows me, then it might turn bad to me. But he doesn't have any bad intentions to me now, at least I feel so, but…

I decide to give him my nickname: "My name is **Anna**. And you're…"

He smiles: "I don't really have a name. But you can call me T.O." Tee-O? That's…

"That's…a strange name."

He laughs. "That's not my name exactly, but rather my role."

"Your role?"

"Well, you will know, sooner or later. Right now, do you want to go back, yet?"

… "I…don't know…"

"Reasons?"

"Well, I want to…enjoy my day a bit. I have to…run away from my **protectors**."

"They're bad?"

"NO! They're good people. But…if they're around me, I cannot enjoy…"

"So that's it? You sure they're not worried about you?"

"They're worried, that's for sure. But… **my role for the country…** "

"It can't be helped, then…" He then grabs his arm around my arm, causing me to nearly yelp in surprise. "How about I walk with you for the day, then you return back? How does that sound?"

I barely know this stranger, but he's helping me too much. "I… don't want… to be a burden to you."

"Nonsense. Time to me is not important. I have all the time in the world. And, I cannot let a young girl like you walking around alone, right?"

Now I notice that, even though he sounds like he's so old, he looks like he's just one or two years older than me. When he looks at me, I turn away a bit. He's quite a looker, but I already **have someone in my heart.**

"It seems nothing can convince you to let me go alone, right? Very well. I will go with you."

He smiles. "Good choice, miss Anna. Well, I'm not sure about what you like, so can you point out some places to go?"

After that, we just went around the city, and I have tried many things that the commoners enjoying here. T.O is a gentleman, that he allowed me to do anything I want, and even helped me out when I was in trouble, bad situations or something that I can't do on my own. In the end, he even bought me a white dress that surprisingly fits me very well. We were having good time, and I told him to take me back home and he complied. But before we could go half way…

"Stop there! Mister, you're arrested for hurting the innocents." I look at where the voice is and… oh no, why is **Agnes** here? The guards then surround us and point their swords to T.O, but he doesn't flinch a bit. I grab my arm to his in fear, as he looks around him, then to Agnes: "May I ask who told you about me?"

Agnes: "The ones you knocked off, of course! They said that they're having a good day, then you pulled them to the dark alley and just knocked them off. They said that you've stolen their money as well."

Kuro smirks: "May I see the people themselves?"

"Of course. You two. Is he the right person?"

"Of course, miss Captain. He's the one!"

"Yeah! That's him!"

Those two, they're putting the blame at him. I'm about to retort at them, but he grips my hand a bit hard. I look at him. He's giving me a look of 'let me do this'. I redundantly nod. He then turns back to the two, and Agnes: "Did you really believe these two?"

"The fact they're in pain when we met them proved it."

"Then, can I retell the story, in the different angle?" He's not giving out any movements to fight back, but his words are giving that out.

Agnes: "Why should I?"

"Because, after my story, your guards' swords will point to them instead." People are looking at the scenery before them now. Agnes thinks a bit, then: "Okay. But, any attempts to escape will make you wanted."

T.O nods: "Of course. You see, I was just having a good day, like these two, then suddenly I heard their laughter from the dark alley you found them. Normally, I would just shrug it off and walked away, however I heard this lady's voice…" He points to me. "So I decided to check. It seems that she just bumped to the guys by accidents. But, these two tried to take advances of it and tried to do some… stuffs to her. So, I knocked those two down and got her out of there. Is that enough?"

People are whispering to each other now. Agnes is a bit discomfort because of the attention, but then decides to ask back: "Do you have any proof for that?"

The first guy says: "That's right! That's just a make-up story! Prove it!"

The second one: "Yeah! Prove it!"

T.O smirks, as he pulls out a rectangle thing and he gives it to Agnes. She looks around the thing, unsure about it: "What is it, mister?"

He answers: "That's a recorder." A recorder? "You see the triangle button?" Agnes looks at it and nods. "Press it. It'll play back the conversation before." Agnes does it, and the thing starts speaking. What makes all of us surprise that, every sentence is being spoken out by the voice of the person who owns the line. After a few seconds, it stops, and Agnes is too shocked to notice that T.O just takes the thing back from her hand. Everyone is loudly talking to each other about the conversation now. Then Agnes snaps out of her shock, walks to me and lifts up the veil to meet my face. " **PRINCESS**? Is that you?"

I nod timidly. "So this person is saying the truth?" She points to T.O. I nod again. Agnes immediately turns to the two criminals, whose faces are pale after the truth came out, and even paler now when they know who they're trying to…

"GUARDS! RESTRAIN BOTH OF THEM, NOW!" All of the guards comply and start escort the two to the nearest guard post. Then Agnes turns to me: "Princess Henrietta, you made all of us so worried. What were you thinking, running off like that? You could have just…"

"Agnes, stop." T.O stops her, as she looks at him. "All that matters is that the princess is safe. Right now our concern is to escort her back to the palace, isn't it?"

Agnes answers: "You…have your point. Sorry Princess for shouting like that. But we're worried about you."

I nod sadly: "I know. T.O told me about it. I'm sorry."

Agnes nods. "Just don't do it again. If you want to go out, just tell us. And…" She turns back to T.O. "I suppose I have to say our thanks to you. Her Highness' life is protected by you, and we're appreciated for it."

"Don't mention it. So, you're going to escort her back?"

Agnes: "Of course. What's are you going to do? Or you want some rewards?"

"Rewards? It's not really a reward, but a request. I want to talk to the queen about the princess' role in ruling the city."

Agnes looks at him suspiciously: "What do you want?"

"Nothing too much. But we need privacy for that. Now, let's walk back, or you have a ride for her?"

Agnes shakes her head: "Not really. But it seems the princess is happy with you around, so I think we should walk back."

I blush: "Agnes! We're not like that!"

Agnes: "Not like that? I saw you two holding hands like you are lovers. I thought you liked him."

I nearly shout, but keep my voice in check: "I'm not! Why…" I stop when I look at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that I don't like you. I'm just…"

"Don't worry princess. Besides, I see you more of a daughter than a lover."

"Huh?" That's my and Agnes' answers for his words.

"Just, go back okay? We can talk later."

When we come back to the palace's gate, my mother instantly runs to me and hugs me to her heart's content. "OH MY DEAR ANNA! You made us so worried when you ran away like that! You shouldn't do it like that!"

"I'm sorry mother. Please, you're hugging me so tight." She releases me, but still holds my hands. Then she looks at Agnes: "Where did you find her?" "We couldn't find her if this man didn't protect her, my queen. He's the one that kept Her Highness safe." My mother releases my hands and walks to Kuro and bows to him: "My sincerely thank to you. Without you, my daughter would have been in grave danger."

T.O bows back to her: "It's nothing, madam. It's my job after all."

I decide to ask: "Your job? I thought…"

T.O winks at me, which makes me blush: "It's a figure of speech, Princess. Now, let's head inside. We all want to talk in a nice and warm place, don't we?"

We all nod, and walk into the palace, or more specifically, our private dining room. My mother sits in her usual place at one head of the table, with me in her left. To her right is T.O, who's asking Agnes to sit too but she politely declines. Then the maids start bringing out some desserts for us, and we pick something for us. My mother and I pick a piece of cake for each, and T.O picks a few cookies for himself. We pray for Brimir, but we notice that T.O just sits there and waits, he's not saying the pray. After the pray, my mother asks her curiously: "Why don't you pray for Brimir, mister…?"

"T.O, madam. And I don't pray for him. All of the people where I'm from don't do so."

I'm surprised. A whole place where no one prays for Brimir? "But why?"

"Even though Brimir has done many things great to you, we didn't receive any benefits from his work. So, we know about his accomplishes, but we don't really have much of a feeling to him."

My mother seems surprised too: "I see…But, if you don't pray for him, then who are you putting your faith in?"

"No one, madam."

Agnes asks him from behind: "That's ridiculous. Then how're you still alive?"

"It's not just me. We have different culture. Just, put the way like that. I will tell you in the future."

My mother slowly nods, then she asks: "May I ask about your name? It sounds…"

"Strange? Yeah, Princess told me about it. No, that's not my name, but my role."

That perks my mother's interest: "Oh? Your role?"

"To say that name in full, it's 'The Observer'. I think you understand, right?"

Silence. He notices our surprise faces: "Uh? Did I say something wrong?"

My mother asks, her voice's shaking: "May I ask, what do you observe?"

"People's lives, their fates, etc… Basically about your well-being."

I suddenly remembered: "You did say about your brother asking you to protect me, right? Who is he?"

T.O drinks his water. "Well, first, his name is Kuro. Second, uh, should I? Yeah, tell them. All right, second, he's a God. Third, he is…"

Agnes interrupts him: "Hold on! God? Are you expecting me to believe that a God just randomly asked you to protect her?"

T.O shakes his head: "Not just him. He's a God, but I'm a **deity** that's beyond his level. And there's another deity that's even **more powerful than me** , and he also wanted me to protect the princess too. That's why I'm here."

A maid in the room is so surprised that she accidentally drops her tray. It would hit the ground, if it doesn't float on the air just right above the floor. We look at T.O, whose right hand is shining a bit. He then lifts his hand up a bit, and the tray starts floating up, high enough for the maid to grab it before he stops his magic. We look at him with shocks and awes in our faces. He just did a spell with no casting and no wand!

"So, does that prove something?"

Silence again. Then my mother stands up and about to do something, when T.O suddenly stands up as well and grabs her arm. "Oh no, madam. I'm not going to let you kneel before me."

"But, why shouldn't I? You're a High Deity, and you wasted your time just to protect my daughter. That's the least thing I could do to you."

T.O sighs: "This's something we hate. Please, sit down first, madam." She complies. "Now, protecting your daughter, it's not some personal matter. Her life is extremely crucial for the future of Tristain, no, the whole Halkeginia. Also, about you kneeling before me. There's one thing we absolute hate, that's kneeling for no reason, or some ridiculous reasons. Protecting good people is always our priority, it's our duty. We won't accept any pray or thanks that makes you look humiliated like that. You're a leader or a commoner, I don't care. Just don't do that with no good reasons, okay?"

My mother nods, tears flowing in her eyes. "But… I should do something for you… you saved my daughter after all."

"Then, my first request is to not let her sit on the throne for the time being."

Silence. Then my mother asks: "What do you mean? You want me to dethrone her?"

T.O smacks his face with his hand: "This is why we don't like talking about politics problems. No, I mean this: Your daughter is still too young to lead a nation. She still needs more time to learn about it, and also she has a need to be a normal girl. Don't take that from her. Everything that's related to her position, just let your officers do everything. Only when she says she is ready, then you can give her the throne back. For now, you can just lead the nation until that time."

My mother is about to say something, but he interrupts her: "And don't use the reason 'My husband/king is dead' to be an escape mean. That would make your people extremely worry. Here's an advice: Don't just dwell into the past too deep, you need to know when to give up on your past, and start worrying about your present and future."

No sound is in the air. Then my mother wipes her tears with her handkerchief: "I…suppose I should do that. Thank you. But, I want to ask something from you, it's a bit selfish but…"

"You want me to protect your daughter?" My mother nods. I decide to jump in now. "Mother, you can't just…"

"I'm sorry, but it's for your safety. Don't worry, I won't ask him to be always with you. Only when you can be in serious situations, will I let him go with you."

I relax a bit. So, kind of a hired mercenary?

"I refuse."

Agnes shouts: "What? Why do you deny it?"

"Because, I was only tasked to protect her to this point. And also, because of my second request."

My mother asks: "Second request?"

He nods. "I want you to let your daughter to study in Tristanian Academy of Magic."

My mother asks in surprise: "That… could be easily arranged. But why?"

T.O turns to me: "You remembered the guy in blue jacket before, right?" I nod. "He's Louise's familiar." I gasp in surprise. "Louise? You mean my childhood friend?" He nods and turns back to my mother. "Also, Kuro is Louise's friend's familiar as well. When she goes there, she could learn magic from the best, also she could enjoy her life as a normal girl with her true friends, while under the maximum protections from them and the professors there. This way, you don't have to be scared of sending her to unknown place, Madam Highness."

Everyone is gasping in surprise, even my mother. Then she says, happily: "I don't know what to say. Thank you so much."

T.O waves his hand: "Don't mention it. We'll always protect good people with our fullest. Now, let us enjoy the rest of the…" Suddenly something rings in the air. Agnes pulls out her sword and runs to between us to protect us, but then we find out the sound is coming from…something in T.O's hand. He raises it to his ear.

"Sorry, that's my phone. Hello?" Phone? "Oh, Kuro. The princess is safe. Don't worry." He's talking to Kuro? "Uh, what did you say? Hello?" He puts the thing out of his ear. After that, he says: "Strange."

Agnes asks him: "What's that thing? And the thing before too?"

"Just think of this as an extremely long-range magic-infused communicate device." We look at him in surprise. Then he says: "Madam Queen, miss Princess, I don't want to rush, but you need to finish your dessert now."

My mother asks: "May I ask why?"

"I'm going to take you to Count Mott's estate. Kuro is 'going to take him down forever' as he said to me. I hope he won't kill Mott before we could reach the estate though."

* * *

Saito's POV

"Kuro's extremely pissed now." We're using my pocket airbus to fly to Count Mott's estate now. We heard the story from Kuro, everyone else couldn't understand instantly but I could. If Count Mott is going to do things to Siesta, Kuro might kill him, **with no remorse, even when he said he won't.**

Flashback

'Well, we're back everyone!' After our little 'eventful' travel in Tristania, we've returned back to the Academy. And eventful, I mean both I and Kuro being shouted at by Louise. After Kuro told us about the princess, she basically threw every word she could mutter to us for not being with the princess. Now, I'm not saying that's not good, Louise cares for her friends, that's okay. But, shouting at us in the middle of the city, not exactly a smooth move. Only when Kuro told her that he asked someone, whom I know as T.O, to protect, would she calm down, just a bit. But she just growled at us every now and then, even when Kirche tried to cheer her up.

Now, we're just gone through the gate, when some of the maids just run to us with worry looks on their face. But their direct focus: Kuro.

"Please Kuro! Please save her! / Get Siesta back to us!" That's most of the words I could pick up from them, since some of them are also crying too.

Kuro is surprised as well: "Woah, woah! Slow down! Once at a time!"

"Let me talk to him! Back off, everyone!" They comply instantly, as the head chef, Marteau if I'm right, walks to Kuro and says: "Please, if you have a heart, get Siesta back to us. She has been chosen as the Mistress of Count Mott."

"Freaking slave to be exact." Kuro's tone change instantly, disgust in his voice. "All right. I will do it, but not just Siesta. I will bring back anyone he has taken away from here as well. Just wait." But when he's about to go, Marteau stops him.

"Wait, Kuro." "Huh?" "I want to say about Siesta's supposed last wish: She asked me to tell you to always remember her, and play **The** **Paradise Song** or something to do so. I don't know what the song is, since every time she played it, no sound came out. And…" He's interrupted when Kuro suddenly grabs both of his arms. "WHAT DID YOU SAY? THE PARADISE SONG?" He's shouting right now, no longer holding his voice. Marteau's sweating now: "Why yes, or at least that's what she said to us." "HOW DID SHE PLAY IT?" "By her flute." One of the maid gives Kuro the flute, which I think belongs to Siesta, and Kuro receives it with surprise written on his face. "Sometimes, we saw her just pulled it out and played, but we've never heard its lyric. She said that, it's from **her mother** , and only her, Siesta and her siblings can play and listen to that song. Do you know why?" Kuro doesn't say anything, and his hair is covering his eyes since he's lowering his head. Then, he gives me the flute, then says…

"Back off everyone." We comply. Then he says: "Mott is not going to die. He should be, since he's so corrupted, but he's not deserved to be killed by me. However, I will make him regret every second of his life, **FOR MESSING WITH MY CITIZENS!** " He shouts at the last part and transforms instantly into Hybrid Heart, causing all of us off guards as he jumps high into the air and starts flying with high speed to where we assume that's Mott's living place.

Tabitha, upon being surprised by Kuro's sudden outburst, asks me: "Problems?"

I nod. "Big ones." Then I turn to Kirche and Louise: "Do either of you know where this Count Mott's house is?" Both of them nod. "Good. We're flying there. We have a Count to interrogate and a pissed God to calm."

Present

Louise notices I'm on edge: "May I ask what's so important about Siesta that made Kuro reacted like that, Saito?"

Kirche: "Like she said. I thought he's in someone like Tabitha or so?"

"That's not the reason Kirche. The problem is the Paradise Song."

Tabitha asks: "Why?"

"That's the song he specifically designed so that **only Gamindustrians** can play it."

The mages are having surprise on their faces. Louise says: "Wait, he said something about messing with his citizens. Is Siesta…"

I nod. "I have the same guess. Either she's reincarnated from someone, or she's the descendant of the reincarnated person. I think it's the latter, since her mother is the one to play the song first."

Kirche: "But then, I don't think he would react that violently."

"…Later. When he calms down, he will tell you. We've arrived now, and…T.O?" Indeed, that's T.O, standing in front of the estate. No one wears that dark theme of clothes in the middle of day. Also, I see someone who're wearing what looks like royal clothes. Maybe one of them is the princess.

"Louise? Look out of the window and see if you recognize the people in front of the door." She does so, and… "That's the Queen and the Princess of Tristain! Why're they here?"

"Don't know yet. But I saw a familiar face down there. Let me land this boy first."

After everyone goes down and I send the bus back to my hammerspace, I see one of the royal, who I assume is the princess, running to Louise and giving her a hug: "OH MY DEAR LOUISE! It's been a long time we've seen each other! How are you?"

Louise is happy that she sees her friend in one piece, but also embarrassed because of the contact: "I'm… fine, Princess. Please, let me go a bit…" "No, let me hug you for a while. It's been…"

I let them do their own things, as I walk to T.O: "T.O. It's quite a long time since I last saw you. What happened?"

"Kuro called me and asked me to bring the Queen and the Princess here. He sounded pissed."

"Yeah. He found out Siesta is his citizen, and she is…"

"Don't need to say more, I understand now." Of course you do.

*Boom!* x2

We hear the sounds coming from the inside, completed by a shockwave on the ground, nearly causing us to fall. Tabitha is holding herself up with her staff, and looks at me with her blue eyes: "Kuro?"

"Has to be. We need to find him now."

As we walk/run inside the place, we see multiple slashes on the walls, ceilings, and the knocked out guards. They look hurt, but there's no blood, so maybe he's using Gehaburn and Share Blade. We stop a bit as Tabitha and the princess, which I know now as Henrietta, start using their magic to heal the guards. One of the guards recognizes the Queen, as he says: "YOUR HIGHNESS! Why are you here? This place is too dangerous for you!"

The Queen says: "I see the damage and the danger I might have stepped in. Tell me, what happened?"

Another guard shouts in fear: "Your highness, please get out of here! Death is here!"

Both the Queen and the Princess are surprised to hear something like that. Not us, since we know who he has mistaken to. T.O walks to a guard and kneels, so his eyes are in the same level: "Tell me. How did he look when he came here?"

"The boy, sir?" T.O nods. "He looked pissed, a lot. He demanded us to let him in, but we had to stop him because that's the Count's orders. What happened next, you can see for yourself."

T.O nods again, and looks at me: "Adam, take the Queen and the Princess to where the two are. The rest will stay here with me until those guards are good to go."

I nod, and say to them: "Madam Queen, miss Princess. Please follow me."

When we walk further inside, even more cracklings can be seen everywhere. The Queen asks me in her surprise: "Who could do such a thing?"

"If you make Kuro angry, this is the best scenario we can get."

Princess asks: "Kuro? You mean the god?"

I turn to the Princess in surprise: "T.O told you about Kuro?"

"He only said that Kuro is a god, he himself is a High Deity, and there's one more that's more powerful. That's all." Oh, only the basic stuff, okay. I will let it slide.

"Yeah, the same one. Apparently Mott bought one of the servants from the Academy as his 'mistress'." I feel disgusted when I say that word. During the ride, Louise told me about what Count Mott has done in the past, and what he's been suspected for doing but there's no evidences to prosecute him. I think Kuro knew about that, but…

"Is she someone important to him?" The Queen asks me.

"I think he wouldn't act this violent if he didn't know who Siesta really is."

"Siesta, you mean the servant?"

I nod. "He looked disgusted only, and still acted normally, until to the point the head chef said about the Paradise Song."

The Queen and the Princess have a question look on their faces. I explain: "The Paradise Song is a song designed by Kuro years ago. I have to say designed, because it's more of a song. It's a certification for every Gamindustrian, since only them can play and listen to the song. Also the song contains healing magic, and it will be in the mind of all Gamindustrians, even when they're dead and reincarnated."

They're surprised that a song like this exists. Then the princess asks me: "Gamindustrian? Is that the name of your people?"

I nod. "I and Kuro are from another plane of existence. The world is called Gamindustri. However, that's not our first world. Our first is… What the hell happened here?" I stop my own sentence when I see what's before me.

The whole main hall has multiple cracks here and there, and for some reasons the pillars are still intact. There're even more guards lying unconscious on the floor, weapons scattering around them and there's a lot of blood on them as well, but I think that's from Kuro, since I can see all of them are still breathing. Then, floating in the midair…

"YOUR HIGHNESS! Save me! Kill this abomination for everyone's safety!"

"Hehe…You still think you can walk away that easy?"

Death is floating on the air, and its hand is releasing some sort of power holding the 'Noble' on the neck. Judging by the look of this one, I guess this is the owner of this place, Count Mott the Wave.

The royal family is too afraid to do anything. I decide to ask first: "Hey Kuro! Is that you?"

It looks back at me. "Oh, mister Saito. Or should I say Adam?"

"Both of them are fine. So, you're not him?"

"I'm an individual of my own. Kuro is heading inside now, probably saving the servants and finding the evidences that can ruin this guy's life." It stops a bit. "You don't fear me?"

"Eh…The fact you're an acquaintance with Kuro makes me more relaxed. Also, you're not exactly scary, since you're just skeleton with cloak and scythe."

It laughs, it's a bit scary by itself. "I see. Well, what're you going to do now?"

I ponder a bit. Then I ask: "Are you the real Death of this world?"

It nods. Wow. "However, this is not my full size. It would be the whole estate. But this body is easier to deal with things in smaller scales."

I suddenly feel grabs from the girls, as they're shaking on their shoes now. I sigh and look at them: "Don't worry. He's on our side."

The Queen says, surprised and scared: "I…I can see. But…"

"What're you scared of?"

The Princess: "If we say something…inappropriate to the deity…And he looks scary…"

Then I suddenly remember: "I thought Kuro said that his rune only gave him a new form?"

"That's a lie from him. He didn't want to scare everyone. Besides, he's thinking to find a new appearance for me."

The others have caught up to us, and they're not exactly surprised when they see the scenario before them. T.O walks to me and looks at Death: "It looks like Kuro is truly angry when he fully summoned you."

It nods. "You have to see when he was glitch while fighting these guys. It looks even worse than his Dark form."

Mott suddenly has the courage to shout again: "WHY ARE YOU ALL HELPING THIS THING? KILL IT! DESTROY IT WITH HOLY POWER, YOUR HIGHNESS!"

T.O sighs and raises his hand, magic glowing on his hand. Death seems understand, as he floats next to me, which makes the royal yelp in fear and run to behind T.O. Then the figure of the Count floats down, and T.O makes him kneel before him. "Helping? He's only doing his job. Besides, if Kuro wanted you dead, you're dead when you met him already. Now, it's the time for you to spill out everything bad you have done during your time as the Messenger of the Palace."

The Count retorts at him: "Why should I tell you anything? I did nothing bad! I'm a Noble! Everything I did is right and nobody can judge it!"

T.O sighs: "Wrong choice of words." Then he swings his arm around, making Mott to bounce on every surface he interacts with, making broken sounds on his body. Then he lands face-first back before us, his body is covered in new wounds now. "Next time, I won't be so merciful."

The Princess is so surprised that she tries to talk to him: "Don't do it, T.O! Don't kill him!"

T.O turns to her, no-nonsense written on his face. "Miss, I won't kill him. None of us will. But, he needs to know that, his actions before had consequences, and now he's facing his judgment from me, **her** …" He points his free hand to Death…Wat? "Kuro, and you two. But, because we don't have evidences, yet. So we're waiting for…"

"There's no need to wait any longer. I'm here." From the upstairs, Hybrid Heart walks down the stairs with Siesta right next to him, with many guards escorting the maids behind him. Then some others guards from the outside come in, and the woman, I assume she is the Captain, upon seeing the maids, orders her soldiers to come in and lead them outside. After that, only Hybrid Heart and Siesta remain.

"YOUR HIGHNESS! This is the person…"

"Shut up, Mott." Hybrid Heart says, anger in his voice. "You have nothing to say here." Then he turns to the Queen and the Princess. "Greetings, Madam Queen and Miss Princess. 'I hope you two have a good day' is what I want to say. But now, I want you to judge him, after the crimes he committed to people in Tristain." He gives the Queen the documents he has on his hand, who says her thank in return and starts reading them. The Count looks pale now, since he knows he's screwed.

After she has done reading it, along with the Princess, the Queen puts it out of her eyes and looks at Mott's eyes, which is cowering in fear now. The Queen then says: "Count Mott, you've done multiple crimes in the past, but we didn't have any evidences to prosecute you. But now, with this, I can safety say that: You're guilty for every single crime, and you're going to face the judge of the Tristain. Now, I will send people to escort you back to Tristania, and I will announce your court to every citizen." Mott now hangs his head in defeat, but when the guards are about to move him, he shouts: "WHAT ABOUT HIM? AND THE ABOMINATION HE HAS? DON'T YOU DO ANYTHING TO IT?"

"Mott the Wave…" Now it's the Princess to speak. "You have no right to say anything now. And for your question. Even if we want to do anything, we can't. You just angered a God by yourself. Now guards, send him away." Now, resembling a fish, Mott just looks at the royal family in disbelief as he was sent away.

After he is gone, I let out an irritated sigh: "Serve the bastard right." Then I turn to Hybrid Heart. "So, Siesta is your citizen?" He nods. "What are you going to do now? How are you going to announce her as your citizen, since our world is not this one?" "That can be arranged, Adam. But it's not the right time." He turns to the Queen and the Princess. "Do you two need escort?" The Queen shakes her head. "No, before T.O teleported us here, we ordered a squad to come here to return us back. Thanks for your concern, and what you have done here today. You helped Tristain a big deal." "Just another day in the office, Madam Queen."

The two leave, but not before the Princess turns back and hugs Louise again, the latter blushes in embarrassment. "I will see you soon. Wait for me, okay?" "Yes, my princess."

Right now, only the people who live in the Academy stand in the middle of the main hall. Then Kuro turns back to his normal self, and smiles. "I'm so glad I found a descendant here. Siesta, when you have free time and about to return to your village, send us an invitation, okay?" Siesta timidly nods.

Louise speaks up first: "You're way too reckless, Kuro. But if it works for you, then I guess I can't say anything more. But, in the future, tell us your plan before you do, okay?" "Of course."

Kirche lashes herself to Kuro, putting his arm between her chest: "You're so awesome Kuro! You helped us big time! Mott is a big jerk nobody likes. He has done so many perverted things in the Academy that even I don't like him." Kuro teases her back: "Isn't that your doing everyday to me?" She pouts: "Hey, at least you did enjoy it, right?" "Well, can't say no to it."

Kuro then pushes Kirche out and looks at Tabitha. "Look, I'm sorry for my sudden actions. But, my citizen is in danger, and I'm not…" He's silenced when Tabitha puts a finger on his lip. "Stop. You're safe, that's matter. Let's return back, okay?" He smiles. "Of course." He turns to T.O. "You want to come?" "I will go back to where I should be. But thanks for the invitation." Then he vanishes. Kuro then looks at Death. "You?" "In this form?" "Maybe later then. You can go." Then Death turns into smoke and floats to Kuro's rune. Then he looks to Siesta. "Come with us. People are worried sick about you and the others who's been here for too long."

* * *

Nighttime, the Academy, third person's POV

"It's a quite night. After everything, this is the best."

"I have to agree."

After requesting to be alone, Kuro and Siesta are lying just outside of the Academy, watching the starry sky and its two moons. Sounds of wind lashing through the grass and the sounds of two people breathing can be heard only during the silence of night.

Siesta breaks the silence: "Thank you my Lord, for saving me out of that place."

Kuro: "I told you didn't I? Don't call me that, just Kuro is fine."

"But it would be impolite if I call you Kuro."

"Not to me. Calling me the name is the polite thing you should do."

"Then, Kuro it is. And… how do you know about the Paradise Song?"

"That's the song I designed long time ago, Siesta. I want to know that my citizens are always safe."

"Then, why was my mother here? She said that she's native to this world, but also… the name of the world is weird."

"Gamindustri, isn't it?" Siesta nods. "The name is like that before. We don't bother to change it back, since it's the core of the world. And why your mother's here, it's my mistake."

"Your mistake?"

"I… because of my mistake, everyone is killed by the monsters. I was not able to save anyone, even my wives. I only had my children and the Oracle of a nation left. Then, because no one was there anymore, I destroyed the world to make sure its darkness couldn't spread to the others."

"I…see. Then where were you?"

"We were sent to the another Gamindustri."

"Another one?"

Kuro nods. "But, in this timeline, we have undone everything, and the world is safe. Now, I'm one of the leaders of the world, before I was summoned here with Saito."

"Saito is…"

"No, he's a native to the new world. He's not from the first one. But, your mother is. Also, please, if you have time to write a letter back to her, please write my apology to her."

Siesta moves next to Kuro and holds his hand with her own. "Don't be, Kuro. My mother told me about the world. You did your best to protect them. It's not your fault when they died."

Kuro sighs. "Can you do me the favor? At least she will know that you're safe around me."

Siesta nods. "Of course. Oh, about my Great-grandfather, only my mother believed that he's from…"

"Earth, right?" Siesta nods in surprise. "Yeah. That's my and Saito's old world before I was killed, and Saito was reincarnated."

"You…were from Earth? And Saito too?"

"It's a complicated story. We all came from different Earths, but the main core of the world was the same. So we can understand the others easily."

"I see."

"May I ask if your mother gave you a hint of who she was?"

"She only said she's **a big brother**. I don't know why she gave that hint though."

… Kuro chuckles: "You just had to use that word-play I told you, didn't you?"

"Eh?"

"Sorry, 'a big brother' is a joke I made when I talked about her name. I know who she was now, thank you."

"You are welcome, Kuro."

"Now, let's play the Paradise Song before we go inside, okay?" Kuro sits up, and pulls out his flute.

"Of course." Siesta does the same, and the two of them start playing the silence song through the night.

* * *

Two days later, Colbert's class, Louise's POV

Kirche: "I heard some rumors around. Is it true that we're going to have a new student?"

"I'm not sure about that. I just heard about it. I don't know who."

Yesterday, The Princess has come to our Academy a bit earlier, saying that she wanted to see our performance in the Familiar's Exhibition, which I completely forgot. When I told this to Saito and Kuro, they said that they could make another sword fight, which made everyone around shout at them in disagreement. We don't need another 'accident' when those two fight again, especially when the Princess is here. Then this rumor suddenly rose up, and became the students' conversation.

I turn to Saito. "Do you know who?"

He shakes his head. "I'm clueless as you are."

I turn to Kuro and about to ask when I see how he looks like right now. "Why did I even bother?" He's Shanghai now, according to Saito. The big doll is lying on top of Tabitha sleeping, while the girl reads her book without any annoyance on her face.

Kirche pokes the doll, who lazily swats her finger out: "That's kind of cute. Don't you agree?"

Tabitha nods, somehow doesn't make Shanghai fall down. I sigh: "I guess so."

Then Professor Colbert walks inside the classroom, following him is…WHAT?

The new student walks to the professor's side when he reaches his usual place. He starts talking: "Students, I would like to introduce to you our newest student. Please, introduce yourself."

The new student nods and starts speaking: "Hello everyone. You have known me as **The Princess of Tristain** , but from now on, I'm Henrietta, **a proud student of the Tristanian Academy of Magic.** I hope we can get along with each other in the time I study here. Thanks everyone."

* * *

 **Chapter 3 end!**

 **I was thinking of letting Saito fight the Count. But Kuro just ran ahead because of his citizen's safety. *Sigh* I have to make sure I give another opportunity to him to fight.**

 **So, Henrietta is the student of the Academy now. How many of you have seen this situation before? I don't think I'm the first one to do so, right?**

 **Siesta is the descendant of someone from Kuro's lost world. The word-play is my own thinking, you guys can try to guess who Siesta's mother was.**

 **Saito has acquired Derflinger, however he didn't know it, yet. Derf will surely be a good partner to him.**

 **So Kuro's rune can actually summon the real Death. But... this Death is a she. We're talking about a crossover with Hyperdimension here, so don't expect to see many boys XD**

 **T.O will appear some more in the story. And about his showcase of power, it's just a small factor, as you can expect. But he won't interfere with large battles like... too close for a spoiler. Anyway, that's Saito and Kuro's job, not his.**

 **So anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, and I will see you in the next ones!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing aside my OCs and my stories.**

 **Chapter 4 is out now. For some reasons the website doesn't let me upload my files like usual, so it's a bit late than my expectation. Also, I got my hands tied with exams so I cannot upload it in Christmas. So, it's late, but still... Marry Christmas everyone!**

 **So nothing else to say... Enjoy reading everyone!**

* * *

The moment right after chapter 3, Kuro's POV

"WWHHAATT?" Shut up, you all. My god. Seriously, the Princess just became your classmate. Did that really make you all shout in surprise like that?

Wouldn't you if you're them?

'Of course not.'

Really?

'You're the same too. You would just shrug it off and treat him or her like a good friend.'

I suppose so.

Louise is shocked more than everyone else. I heard from T.O that, Henrietta told Louise that she would see her soon, but never said when. So, the moment the Princess appeared and then announced that she's going to study here, Louise would have reacted the most, as she stood up. "Princess, why are you here? I thought you're here for the Exhibition only!"

Henrietta giggles in her hand: "Aren't you happy to see me here, my dear friend? And for your question, that's the original plan, but after…certain events, my mother let me to study here. This Academy is one of the best in Halkeginia, after all."

Louise is probably blushing now when she hears the Princess calling her 'dear friend', but then continues her question: "But then, what about your position as…"

"For now, my mother will return back to the throne for a while. Right now, I'm just a normal student, like all of you."

Everyone is still resembling a fish now. Oh well, can't blame them now. This era is way different than our current time.

Then Kirche asks Henrietta: "But then prin…I mean Henrietta. I thought the royal would get you some personal teachers, not let you study in public like this?"

Henrietta nods. "That's would be the case. But you remember what happened two days ago, right?" Kirche nods. "The fact that there're might be even more people like Mott or even worse could be in Tristania, that's why my mother put me in the Academy, where I could be more protected, thanks to the professors here." Then she bows to Colbert. "Thanks for your welcome hand to me in here. I will study much from you and the others, and I won't disappoint you all."

Colbert smiles: "That would be a pleasure to teach the princess of Tristain. But, from now on, I will call you by your name. Is that okay, miss Henrietta?"

She nods. "Of course, professor Colbert."

Colbert still keeps his smiles as he points to the place next to Louise: "You can seat next to Louise. That one is empty." "Thank you, professor." "All right, introduction is done. Let's return to our lesson."

During this part, I suddenly notice that, most of the time I have written their names directly. I completely forgot that we have different cultures. Sorry if my writing might make you all angry. I will try to fix this in the future.

* * *

After the class, and an explosion, Kuro's POV

Louise breaths, a bit angrily: "These guys are too aggressive! I know she's not a princess now, but don't just bombard her with questions like that!"

Saito asks Henrietta: "Are you okay, Henrietta?"

Henrietta: "I'm fine. Thank you, Saito and Louise, for your concern."

Louise blushes: "It's my pleasure, princess. Of course…"

Henrietta stops her: "Now, now. I'm no longer princess, I'm just a student now. Call me Henrietta, or even Anna, Louise."

"But…but…"

"Louise, please…"

"Fine. Ann…Anna…It's my pleasure."

Henrietta smiles: "Good enough, I guess."

FYI, after the class, the boys started asking her questions, and started closing their space, a little too much. Louise was a bit angry at that, and used a true explosion spell to knock them out and pulled Henrietta out of the classroom. Saito, Kirche and Tabitha followed, but I stayed back a bit and used my power to fix back the room, then floated outside to join the party.

Kirche then asks: "Henrietta, I think I shouldn't ask this, but… is there another reason why you're here? I mean, other than there're more bad guys in Tristania?"

Henrietta asks back: "What's your guess?"

I sit on top of Tabitha again, as Kirche points at me with her thumb: "I think he's the reason."

Henrietta looks at me, however, she doesn't know that Shanghai is me. "Uh, the cute doll? I don't think…"

Saito explains: "That's Kuro, miss. He sometimes just changes like that."

Henrietta is surprised after hearing that fact. She looks at me a bit, and I wave my hand at her and smile. She looks back to Saito. "Is she…the same person with T.O?"

Saito nods. "Yep. That's how he's normally seen when he's bored or if he's around girls only."

A moment before Henrietta lets the fact sink in. "I see. Well, he's partly the reason. My mother holds a debt with T.O after he saved me, and T.O requested that I should study here, since he said that Kuro and Saito and the professors here can protect me."

Saito: "I see. Those three…"

Henrietta asks Saito: "You know them?"

"I met both Kuro and T.O before. But nobody has even seen the last one. I did know his name, but we're not allowed to meet him face-to-face, because of his own safety."

"I understand."

Tabitha pulls her eyes out of her book and looks at Henrietta: "Familiar?"

Henrietta blinks: "Familiar? Oh right, you are Tabitha, right?" She nods. "About my familiar, I'm going to summon mine in the afternoon. Would you all like to join with me?"

Louise says in her excitement: "Of course, Prin…Anna! It's our pleasure!"

Kirche nods and smiles: "I would like to stick around with you all as well."

Tabitha nods, probably knows that I would pull her with me even if she disagrees.\

Saito: "Well, I'm with Louise. Oh, and Kuro, can you turn back?" I nod, float out of Tabitha's head and change back to my original self. "Have you done your research about Louise's power?"

"I think I will teach her now, since we're having about an hour before lunchtime. Just a small test, nothing serious."

Everyone nods, and we start walking to where I and Saito have 'wrecked' before.

"First thing first, Louise, give me your wand." Everyone is surprised when I say that. Louise asks me: "Wait. If I don't use my wand, then…" "It's one of my theories. Please give it to me." She redundantly does so.

"Okay Louise. Now, try to concentrate your energy in your right hand." I hold her hand up. "Let the energy flow by itself. You only have to guide them. And relax, you shouldn't push yourself so hard. And close your eyes if you want to, to concentrate more on the task at hand." Puns aside, she does so. About 10 minutes or so, I start seeing a bit of her energy in her hand, it's circling around her hand a bit.

"Okay. Now, I want you to hold the power like that." I retract my hand and walking slowly away from her a bit, as she opens her eyes. "Now, you know about the fireball spell, right?" She nods, and is about to chant it when I stop her. "Don't chant the spell, at least not vocally. If you want to, chant it in your head. Now, when you feel ready, fire two consecutive fireballs at me with one hand. Can you do so? I will let my guard up from now, so you can go at any seconds." She nods, and I active my aura to protect myself. After 2 more minutes, she shouts "Fireball!" and thrusts her hand to me, and instantly two explosions impact to my aura, creating a decent amount of smoke.

She kneels on the ground, probably thinks she failed. "Did I…fail again?"

"No, you did it, more than I expected. Normally, I would think two energy balls will fly to me and create the same result. But you can actually create two explosions at the same time, and I also feel heat from the explosion too. Meaning, your 'Fireball' spell works, just not in the same way like the others."

She looks at me, tears of happiness in her face. "Is…it the truth? I did the spell…right?"

I nod. Kirche suddenly hugs Louise from behind: "I'm so proud of you Louise! You finally did a spell correctly!"

Louise is happy about her success, but then a bit angry and embarrassed when Kirche did so: "Let go of me! You're hugging me too hard!"

"NO! A little longer!"

I suddenly felt some energy perk in Louise, and another energy field similar to her energy. I instantly run to the place so that Louise, the field and me are in the same line. And, true to my suspicion, Louise suddenly disappears in Kirche's arms much to her surprise, and appears right in the energy field I detected, and smoke is under her feet. Luckily she didn't fling herself backward, that's one less thing I have to think about.

Everyone is surprised by sudden event, even Saito. Then he looks at me: "Is that…your teleportation spell?"

I nod. "But it's not me who did the spell. Louise herself did."

Louise herself is shocked when I said it. "I… I did another spell?"

"Well, not exactly your own purpose, but you did it. Tell me, at that moment, you just want to escape Kirche's hug, right?"

"Eh…Yes?"

"That's enough to know. All of Void users I know use their power with sudden purposes. But most of them have a common spell: Teleportation. It comes with many names like Blink, Apparition (not Void users, I know), and so on. From what I saw, it seems you used it accidentally, so the place you ended up was just a few feet around you. Once you can use it frequently, you can teleport yourself half of the planet, as long as you have a clear image of the location, and enough energy for that."

"Wait, wait…" Henrietta interrupts me. "Louise is a Void mage?"

I nod. Saito asks me: "Are you going to teach her to draw the energy from the Void?"

I shake my head. "We don't know if this world's Void works the same like the others. For now, I will let her improve her own. When there's more confirmation, I will teach her more."

Louise: "Then, is there another spell you can tell me to do now?"

"Maybe. Let's try to use the teleportation spell again, but this time…" I open my hand and face it up, an apple appears on my left hand. "I want you to teleport the apple from my left hand to my right hand. No interact with it." Louise complies, and concentrate again. I feel her energy starts warping around the apple, and then the apple disappears and reappears in my right hand. However, there's still trace of smoke.

"Hmm…"

Louise asks me nervously: "I…did the spell right, right?"

"Of course. But I'm thinking about the smoke problem. It seems you cannot control the amount of energy you need to use the spell. All right, next time, I will help you in controlling it. For now, let's stop. We're heading back to the dining hall." I turn back to the rest of the group. "I will also help you in using your own magic like Louise, so don't hesitate to ask, okay?" They nod, and we walk back to the dining hall.

* * *

Afternoon, the 'broken' yard, Kuro's POV

We return here, but this time with professor Colbert, Old Osmond and miss Longueville for some reasons. We're preparing for Henrietta to do her summoning ritual.

Old Osmond asks: "Are you ready, miss Henrietta? Start the ritual when you're ready."

Henrietta nods. "I'm ready. Let's do this." She steps a couple steps in the summoning circle, as she starts chanting her spell. "My name is Henrietta de Tristain. Pentagon of the five elemental power. Heed my summoning... and bring forth...my familiar!" Then, the circle starts shining around her, and after a few moments, the light dies down, and a figure appears before Henrietta. It belongs to a woman in her 30s, with blue hair and…

"…"

Saito recognizes her. He looks to me: "Saito, isn't she…"

I nod, understanding what he's about to say. I really want to destroy the summoning spell now, but… On one side, she could be tied with Henrietta for quite a time, of course I would ask if I should destroy it or not. On the other side, at least…

"Oww…what just happened?"

Henrietta looks at the girl in front of her in disbelief for a moment, before she notices the girl's wounds on her left arm: "Oh my god! Are you okay? Let me heal you…" She then chants her healing spell, and the wounds disappear.

"Wow… The wounds are gone. Thank you miss."

"You are welcome. May I ask what happened to you?"

"I…I was attacked by the monsters. I thought I… How did I end up here?"

"I did a summoning spell. I want to ask for a familiar, but it seems…the spell chose you."

The girl doesn't say a bit, then: "I think I owe you my life, then… You summoned me, right? I guess, I will be your familiar, then…"

Henrietta smiles sadly: "Of course, I won't force you to do so. But if you want to…"

"This is at least my thank for saving my life."

Henrietta nods, and starts chanting again: "My name is Henrietta de Tristain. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being and make him my familiar." Then she kisses the girl. The girl's surprised by the action, but the kiss lasts a second, at max. The girl is blushing now: "Miss…miss…why did you…"

Henrietta giggles: "Sorry. That's a part of the ritual. Please don't mind it."

The girl calms a bit. "If you say so. Ack!" Then the rune starts scribing on the girl's hand, causing her to hold on it. It's like what happened to Saito.

The girl looks at the rune a bit, then back to Henrietta. "The ritual…is completed?"

Henrietta nods. "Yes, it's finished."

"Lyrica and Anna sitting under the tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G!" *Whack x 2* "Ouch!"

Both the girls blush at my singing, as they turn to look at me in embarrassment. Lyrica now finally notices me and the others, but her main focus now is me. "K…KURO?"

I wave to her while rubbing the place Tabitha hit me. "Yep! Nice to see you here, 5pb. I'm glad you're safe."

Henrietta asks me, while still blushing: "You…You know her, Kuro?"

"Of course. She's my citizen after all."

The others look at me surprised except Saito because he already knew, Tabitha but I think because this is no longer a surprise to her, and Louise as she looks at me boringly: "Really? Another citizen of yours? How many do you have here?"

I shrug. "Don't know. But I'm always glad to see them safe and sound."

Lyrica starts running to me and hugs me tightly: "Oh my Goddesses, Kuro! I was so scared back then! The monsters suddenly showed up and started killing everyone…Is everyone okay?" I hug her back, even tighter than before, I'm still smiling, but now it's a sad smile. "Kuro? What happened?" "I'm…sorry, Lyrica. But…the old world…I have destroyed it."

Everyone, except Saito, yells: "WHAT?" in surprise. I didn't tell them the story, yet.

"How, Kuro? You were just asking everyone to go to safety? Then why did you destroy the world?"

"Lyrica…The last thing you remembered before the summon…is that moment, right? It was 8 years ago. In that day, everyone is gone. Either they're killed or being teleported away. But don't worry, I'm going to find the citizens back. We have a new home now."

"A new home?"

"Yes. A new Gamindustri. However, my family has returned back to the beginning of Nepgear's adventure, and we managed to fix everything up. Now, the world is in peace now."

"I…I see. But then, have you met any old citizens, or you just met another version of us?"

"Marvy, CC2, Red and Tekken. They're the first ones I met during the time we're saving the Goddesses."

"I'm…I'm glad."

"By the way, I think I should introduce you two first. Saito?" "Yeah?" I release the hug and lead 5pb. to Saito. "Saito, meet Lyrica from my old world. Lyrica, this is Saito Hiraga, or Adam in Gamindustri, an old friend of mine during Nepgear's adventure. Hope you two get along with each other."

Saito and Lyrica shake each other's hand. "Nice to see you, Lyrica. I'm glad Kuro has found another friend in his past."

"The pleasure is mine, Saito…or is it Adam?"

"Both are fine to me."

"Then, Saito it is."

Then Kirche suddenly appears right before Lyrica. "Wow! Another cute girl! Why does Kuro always have the cute girl around?"

Lyrica yelps in surprise and hides behind me. Then she pokes her head out and asks me: "Kuro…why is there another Lady Vert?"

I snicker, grab her hand and lead her back to Kirche: "This is no Lady Vert, Lyrica. Though she kinda has the same personality. This is Kirche von Zerbst. Sorry, have to shortcut your name, your names are too long." "I understand." "Kirche, this is Lyrica, or 5pb. in my world. Hope you two can be friends."

Kirche bows to Lyrica: "Nice to meet you, miss Lyrica." Lyrica bows back, still nervous a bit: "The pleasure is mine."

"Louise?" The mentioned girl walks to Lyrica and shakes her hand as well. "Nice to meet you, Lyrica. My name is Louise." "Hi, Louise, nice to meet you." Then she looks closely at Louise, which makes her uneasy. "Uh, Lyrica? What's wrong?" 5pb. backs away: "I'm sorry Louise. But you remind me of…"

I ask: "Blanc?" She shakes her head. "Ram?" She nods. "Hmm, maybe so…All right, to the little princess…" She misses this time. She glares at me as I smile, then she turns to Lyrica and bows. "Tabitha. Nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you too, Tabitha." 5pb. turns to me: "Blanc…" I nod. Then I lead her to the professors. "They're the professors of this academy. The woman is miss Longueville, the man with bald head is mister Colbert, and Gandalf here is Old Osmond."

The first two bows to Lyrica and she does the same. The headmaster bows as well, but then asks me: "Why did you call me Gandalfr? I'm not…" I wave my hand: "It's a joke from my world. Don't mind it much. And Lyrica…" I lead her back to Henrietta. "This is Henrietta, the student of the academy, also the princess of the nation we're standing in right now."

Lyrica is having waves in her eyes and suddenly nervous now: "Princess? Then… my…"

"Ah, yeah. Your 'master' is a princess. What?" "Well, it's just…the moment before…"

Henrietta giggles: "Don't mind it. It doesn't bother me." "But…*sigh* I think I can't say anything, right?"

"Yeah. Sorry about it." Then she looks at her rune, then to me: "How long this…contract lasts?"

"Until one of you die." To the mages, it's the common knowledge. To my friends, however…

"What the…Kuro! You should have warned me about this first! What about my family?"

"My…entire life? Kuro, why does this kind of spell exist?"

I sigh: "Both of you, calm down a bit." They stop speaking, but glare at me now. "I do know about it. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you beforehand. However, I'm a god, but also a being that defies any kinds of logic. I could break anything, even things that sound impossible…"

Saito has a look of realization: "You can destroy the spell any second, right?" I nod.

Lyrica breaths out in relief: "Oh Goddesses. I don't think I can be a servant for my entire life."

Of course the mages are surprised at me. Louise then asks me: "If you knew about it before, then why…"

"It's…our own desire. Our desire to help good people…" I look at Henrietta. "I let you finish the contract with Lyrica, because you've saved her from her death, I'm very appreciated of it. Also, you're a good person, and you can help me in saving this world, directly or indirectly." I turn to Louise. "I leave Saito to you, because… he can help you about your power, and protect you more than I can do. And, it's something I don't like to change." I look at Adam. He has a look of understanding about what I said. Then I look at Tabitha: "And you, my mistress…" I stare at her a bit, then turn away and look at the sky, my hands crossing behind my back. Silence…

…

"What about her, Kuro? Tell us. We're your friends, and her friends, right? We deserve to know about her, right?" Kirche asks me. I don't answer.

… Old Osmond asks me again: "Please, tell us the reason. Maybe we can help you…"

…

…

You fear the future can change to the way you don't want?

'You know how people describe the future: unstable, unpredictable…'

But, if there's a chance, you will grab it, right?

'Of course. Doesn't mean we can ignore the fail roads…'

 _What do you fear about?_

'About…how I'm too late…to save…'

 ** _That's not your fault. You're not from this world. You're not supposed to help it._**

'Death?'

 ** _However, you three decided to step in, and tried to unite everyone. The plan is risky, but you're still doing it. Fear is what drives people towards. Without fear, you're not human. But, can that really apply to you, Kuro? Besides, she's not dead yet, right? You still can fix everything._**

'…You're right. I fear. But because of the fear, I know that I have to do it. If not, the fear will consume me. Then, I won't be able to save anything. Thank you Death.'

 ** _*giggles* It's a pleasure. Oh and Kuro?_**

'Yes?'

 ** _Say hello to the spirit of Lagdorian Lake when you meet her for me, okay?_**

'Why don't you say for yourself?'

 ** _Well, you know about the ring right? I don't think I should meet her now._**

'Maybe. However, if she asks me to talk to you…'

 ** _Of course. If that happens, then I will appear._**

 _So, you're going to tell her?_

'Yes. I will tell her. Thanks for the conversation.'

 _You are welcome._

Let's return back to reality. People are worried.

'Of course.'

I turn at me, and see that everyone has stepped right behind me. They back up instantly. Saito says: "You scared us there, Kuro. Why did you have to be like that for so long?"

"Sorry. I'm measuring my answer. Also, I talked to the others to decide. Sorry that I scared you all."

Everyone relaxes after that. Then Lyrica asks me: "What's the reason for you to be Tabitha's familiar?"

"My reason: her family. Or more likely: her mother's and her wishes."

Tabitha widens her eyes, as Kirche asks her: "Your wish? What's your wish?"

Tabitha looks at her: "…Friends…"

Kirche pouts at that: "I'm not enough for you? You're so mean, Tabitha."

"It's not that wish Tabitha." She looks at me. "I'm talking about the wish you wanted to happen from the time you lost everything."

Everyone is surprised when I say that. They never know about Tabitha's past, so that's a normal reaction. Louise asks her first: "What did Kuro mean, Tabitha? What did you lose?"

Professor Colbert is worried as well. "Miss Tabitha… Why didn't you tell us about your worries? We can help you with it, right?"

"You can't, Colbert. None of you can…"

Old Osmond says a bit loudly: "Why can't we? Even if we're the professors of an academy only, our responsibilities are to take care of our students, and help them as much as we can."

Henrietta agrees with the Headmaster: "He's right. I will be the Queen in the future, I want to know about my citizens' conditions, so I can help them. If she didn't tell them, then how can I…"

"Then what's your reaction if I say she's not here to be a student?"

That makes everyone stop in their track. Tabitha is having fear in her eyes, she knows that I will tell everything, but she also knows she can't do anything to me. Kirche looks at me: "What nonsense you're talking about? If she's not here to study, then why's she here?"

"She's here, because of Louise." Louise looks at Tabitha in disbelief. "She was tasked to kidnap Louise and send her to Joseph de Gallia."

Henrietta interrupts me: "Wait, you mean King de Gallia, Joseph?"

"One and the same."

Old Osmond asks me: "What's her connection with the King? I mean her name…"

"Do you even realize why she only has 'Tabitha' as her name? It's her fake name. Her real name… I will tell you, but, you need to know something first…"

Kirche looks at me, then back to Tabitha in disbelief: "What… Tabitha is not even your real name?"

Tabitha doesn't say anything as she hangs her head down, her hair is covering her eyes. Then, she points her staff at me and shouts: "ICE COFFIN!" Immediately ice surroundings me and freezes me in place. Not to let anyone snap out of their shocks soon, she attempts to run away, but…

"PANDORA BOX!" 6 glyphs appear around her, completely block all of her ways out.

"DEMON FLAME!" A red glyph appears below me, then a pillar of fire occurs, melting the ice away. I walk to her without a scratch, as everyone looks at the exchange of spells in disbelief. I ask her: "Why are you trying to run, when I'm trying to help you, Charlotte?"

"Help? HOW?" She shouts at me, tears running on her face. "Nobody can help me! No one! The only one I think can help me is the white knight, and he's not real! He's never real! E-Force Blizzard!" She uses it right inside my spell, causing the glyphs to break instantly. Then she points her staff at me again: "I try to hide everything, and hope nobody would find out. Why do you have to bring it up? Northern Cross!" I immediately hold my right hand up to block the cross suddenly slams to me from the above. Everyone is already back away to avoid being hit by our attacks. "Even if they know, then what can they do? NOTHING! COLD SANCTUARY!" "LAST DEFENDER!" A white glyph appears before me to protect myself from her ice shots.

"Your friends can always help you, a little or a lot. You just help to ask them…"

"You think you can just do anything? You're a God, not a human like me! We are fragile, one wrong step and everything goes down! ICICLE TORNADO!" This time I let it hit me, wounds start appearing on my body.

"Then, why bother to live, Charlotte? You could have just killed yourself, and done. Bad things go away."

"WHY? MY MOTHER IS STILL ALIVE! EVEN IF I HAVE TO KILL A GOD TO SAVE HER, I WILL DO SO! ANNIHILATOR!" The pillar of energy hits me full force, causing me to back away a bit. I look at her, she's exhausted due to her anger and her spells spamming.

"You know why I saved Siesta back then, right? Why do you think I'm trying to…" She suddenly drops her staff, she lost her energy that fast? I immediately run and catch her before she collapses to the ground. Everyone runs to us now, since they know our fight is finished. They're looking at Charlotte in worried. I push her back a bit, then she starts punching me, her physical strength is never her strong point. "Siesta…She's your citizen…I'm not…I'm…not…"

"If you're not, then explain how you can do those attacks."

"They're…from my mother's diary…That's the only thing I have…to remember her…what she was used to be…"

"You don't know… Or you're trying to deny the fact **you're my citizen**?"

"…" Tabitha says nothing, as I pull her to me, letting her cry in my arms. "I'm sorry, Charlotte. I'm 10 years late to save your mother. But now, I'm here, and the three of us will return back what should have been yours. You will see…" The only sounds exist now are her crying, and the wind lashing innocently in the air.

After a while, she stops crying. I look at her and see that she is asleep now. I bring her up in bridal style, then look at everyone. They're extremely worried now.

"…Old Osmond, is my room ready?"

Louise instantly outbursts at me: "ARE YOU KIDDING? AFTER EVERYTHING AND YOU ASK THAT QUESTION?" But she shrinks back away when I stare back at her, this time there's no humor in my eyes.

Old Osmond slowly: "Eh…Yes. May I go ahead first?"

"Lead the way, sir." Then everyone starts following us, they're not over the fact Tabitha/Charlotte attacked me. When we reach my supposed room, Old Osmond reaches to the handle…

"Old Osmond…" He looks at me. "Let me do it." He nods, and I turn the door knob. I walk inside and put her on one of the beds in the bedroom next to the windows, and cover her in the blanket. I move my finger above her head a bit, a bit of magic dust falling on her head. Then I kiss on her head, making her stir juts a bit. I want to give her a good dream, or at least one of her best memories. She has been holding her feelings for a long time. I will help her regain it back. As a leader, and, as a friend.

After that, I call out her staff, which I pocketed it before I left the yard, and put it next to the bed. Then I walk out of the room, to see surprised faces staring at me.

… "What?"

Saito asks me first: "You said you asked a room for us, right?"

"Yeah?"

Kirche: "Did you expect to have guests in your room?"

"Better be prepared, why?"

Louise: "What is this place?"

"My room, why?"

Colbert: "This…is not how this room looked like before…"

"Of course…"

… "You guys can seat around the table. I will get you some tea."

Old Osmond: "That…would be good. Everyone?"

All of them: "No…objections."

* * *

A few minutes later, Saito's POV

… "Kuro, explain. Everything. Now."

"Which one do you want to hear first?"

"About the room first."

"Didn't I tell you?"

"I mean, I thought we're going to stay here for a while before we return. I never thought you would actually **bring your own dimension to this world**."

Yes, you didn't hear me wrong. For some reasons, he brought his own house from Gamindustri to here, in one supposed guest room. We're all sitting at his living room now, and he's bringing glasses of tea for us. The mages are all surprised to see how modern his house is, I and Lyrica are surprised that he dared pull out this stunt, and Tabitha (now we know that she's Charlotte, if that's how Kuro called her) is sleeping in one of his guest rooms. And she will be surprised when she wakes up for sure.

"Well, nothing beats your own home, right?"

Henrietta asks Kuro in her surprise: "Is this your house? Is it… how a God's house looks like?"

"Eh…no. You can look at every house in Gamindustri and see the similarities with my house. Some even more beautiful than mine." And that's the truth too. The Goddesses have their living place very common, normal citizens would be surprised if they see otherwise.

Colbert: "I know you said you're more advanced than us, but this is…"

Kirche: "This is even better than my house! How much does it even take to build this house? I bet it's a lot."

"Actually, no. I built this house like any citizens, it's not very expensive."

Lyrica: "…You built this house, based on your old one, right?"

"Of course. Sometimes changes are not necessary."

"Okay, enough with the house. Tell us what you know about Charlotte." Kuro drops his smile as he positions himself in his chair.

"Let's just say: It started from a cold war, between Charlotte's father and the current king of Gallia. Two brothers of the royal house, fighting to take the seat of the previous king. Then, during a 'family bonding' hunting, Charles, Charlotte's father, was killed 'accidentally'. Then, the throne was given to Joseph, the king of Gallia now."

So, a civil war? "Accidentally, you say?" I understand what he meant. It happened a lot in the history of Earth.

"If it's that simple. After that, during one of the party, the young Charlotte was given a drink, but before she drank it, her mother took it for herself, and now, she's mentally ill. And…" He stops there.

…

Kuro talks to me: "Tell me, if you're being illustrated, then, how will you see a doll as?"

A sudden question… "I would say, someone precious to me."

He nods. "It's the case here. Her mother has mistaken Charlotte's own doll as herself." Everyone gasps in surprise. He continues: "And when Charlotte tried to approach her, her mother always shouted at her about 'taking her daughter away'. It seems the poison she took altered her mind to the point…I don't even want to say it. As a father myself, and you too, you know how it feels, right?" I nod.

A bit of silence for everyone else to swallow. Then, Henrietta asks Kuro: "Then, why won't the king kill Tabitha instantly?"

"Only because she's his niece. But then, he gave Charlotte dangerous missions to accomplish. You know why, right?" Henrietta nods sadly: "To dispose her without dirtying his hands, right?" Kuro nods. "But, when Charlotte finished all of them, the king gave her the rank of Knight, and would be even higher if the king didn't refuse to rise more."

Kirche asks in her worried: "Then…after all the times…me and Tabitha…we're not friends? I… I trust her…and…"

Kuro shakes his head: "Don't think like it, Kirche. When she came here, she did think that's only for her mission. However, after you interacted with her, and now us, she started opening her emotions more, right? She did see you all as her friends, and that's why she hid everything away, so she could enjoy her life here."

Colbert: "So…what you said before…about us couldn't help her…"

"It's a bit exaggerated. Of course you could help her, however not physically. This is a political problem, and Gallia problems. Also, she changed her name to Tabitha, so even if she's found out and you tried to put the blame on Joseph, he would deny it and say that he has no connection to Charlotte, or Tabitha."

Louise looks a bit down. I suddenly remember, she kind of has the same problem like Tabitha. But at least her family is still there, Tabitha's, though…

Old Osmond remembers something: "Kuro…Did king Joseph…know about Louise's power?"

Kuro nods. "Of course. Why else would he have Charlotte to kidnap her?"

I ask him now: "But even then, what benefits would be…"

"Reconquista" is his answer to me. The princess gasps in surprise: "You mean the group of Nobles that claimed to unite Halkeginia by war and then invade the Holy Land?"

"One and only."

The princess recalls something from her past: "OH NO! I forgot!"

Old Osmond asks her: "What is this, your Highness?"

"It's… about Albion."

Kuro: "They're waging war to the land, right?" The princess nods. Then for some reasons, he smirks. "Worried for your cousin?" She nods. "Or lovers?"

That word throws everyone off guards, as Henrietta blushes but doesn't say anything. Louise looks at her: "Is he telling the truth?" She timidly nods, her face is all red.

"But that's not the only thing you scare about, right Henrietta?"

Louise turns to him: "What do you mean?"

"Prince Wales Tudor is currently holding Henrietta's love letter to him. If this letter is going out of the public, then…"

Old Osmond continues: "The alliance between Germania and Tristain might crumble, right?" Kuro nods.

"So, what's your plan now?"

"Probably after Charlotte wakes up and be better, and after the Exhibition, we'll make our way to Albion. There, we'll push back Reconquista and get the soldiers of Albion back, including the Prince. And then, I will try if I can pull Tiffania and her orphanage out of Albion and get her here. Then to Tabitha's home and take back her mother, and…"

Louise interrupts me: "Hold on, hold on… What do you mean by 'we'?"

"Well, of course the three of us would be a go. If you want, you and Saito can come with me. My invitation to all of you, too."

Silence, a bit. Then miss Longueville stands up.

Old Osmond says, surprised in his voice: "Oh? Miss Longueville is here? I'm sorry that…"

"No need to, old man." Then she turns to Kuro: "Are you…really going to save Tiffania?"

"Of course, Longueville. Or…" He puts his finger on his temple. Then miss Longueville nods. "I should call you Malthida, or Fouquet from now."

The mages are surprised, and Louise instantly pulls Henrietta to behind her, as she points her wand to Longueville, now known as Malthida, and she says: "Wait a second! She's the Fouquet, the Crumbling Dirt? Why don't you tell us about it if you know about her?"

Kuro: "Don't be hype up like that. She bears no ill."

Louise: "HOW CAN SHE NOT? You know what she has done, right?"

Kuro: "No casualties." Louise stops. "Never once in her robberies has she taken a life. Also, she did it not for herself."

Malthida nods: "Of course not, Hybrid Heart. Ever since you helped me up from my demise, I have vowed to myself to be like you: never take a person's life if they're redeemable."

Lyrica is surprised when Malthida actually knows about Kuro's CPU name, and I am too. She asks her: "Wait, miss Malthida. How did you know about Kuro's CPU name?"

Malthida looks at her, then removes her glasses: "Saito, Lyrica. Look at me. Do I resemble someone in your past?"

We look at her a bit. Then I remember: "Before I say my guess, let me ask the mages here something first, okay?" She nods. Then I turn to Louise and Henrietta. "What do you know about Fouquet?"

Louise answers: "She's known as the famous thief, who would turn walls and doors into dirt and steal anything that counts valuable from the Nobles. And she always leaves a message whenever she completes a robbery." Then she turns to Malthida: "Why are you here? Is there anything that's value here for a famous thief like you to come?"

Before she answers, Lyrica says her guess: "Malthida…you are… **the Underling**?"

A bit of silence. Then Kirche busts out laughing: "Un…Underling? What kind of name is that?"

Malthida sighs and she puts up her glasses, waits for Kirche to finish laughing. When she does so, she explains: "That's what happened when you left Kuro's airhead wife doing with her naming. No, that's my nickname when I was in Gamindustri a long time ago. In that time, I went with the name **Linda.** "

Now that makes sense. Both of them have a lot of similarities to each other.

Henrietta has a look of realization: "Gamindustri? Isn't that where…"

"Yes, Princess. I was, and still am, the citizen of Kuro. By the way, Kuro…" She turns to him. "When did you know?"

"Since the first day actually. I heard your wish."

"I see. And you still helped me?"

"Like I have said before, if you're redeemable, then I will help you as much as I can."

She smiles: "Still the same old God I remember. Now, tell me, how're you going to accomplish everything? Starting from flying to Albion. It's a warzone now."

"Using another army, of course." And then he looks at the table. "Oh, out of tea. Sakuya? Can you help me?" Then suddenly our cups fill up again. "Thanks. Anyway, yeah. I have an army in my sleeve. Just wait and see. Also, what're you looking for in the vault by the way?"

" **Option.** " Silence. "The weapons of destruction. Old Osmond knows about it."

Kuro turns to him: "Osmond. Can you tell the story, please?"

Old Osmond asks him: "Why should I?"

Kuro: "You were saved by **my citizen,** so I think I'm deserved to know about it."

Colbert suddenly asks me: "Why do you think it belongs to your citizen? From what I heard from the headmaster himself, **the woman** appeared from out of nowhere to save him from the Wyvern. But…"

Old Osmond interrupts him: "Let me finish it, Colbert." He seems reluctant, but nods. "Anyway, yes, I was saved a long time ago, by a strange woman. However, after that, her wounds are beyond help. I tried to save her, but then, she called out her weapons like how you did it before, Kuro, and she gave it to me. Then she gave me an emblem of some kind…" He pulls out something from its pocket. It looks like a badge, and it has…the Leanbox symbol on one side, and a music note on the other.

Lyrica is surprised, and tears flow out of her eyes. "No, no, no…Headmaster, can you give it to me?" He complies. Lyrica looks at it, then hugs it: "It's…from **Cave** …I made it for her…As a gift…She's gone…"

Old Osmond understands: "I'm sorry, miss Lyrica. I did my best, but she couldn't get through. In the end, she said to me… If I met the owner of this emblem, then tell her sorry to the person. It seems…"

"Thank you, mister Osmond. It's…enough for me…" Lyrica leans to me a bit, and I hug her to comfort her.

"Old Osmond…" Kuro asks him. "Do you remember where you buried her?"

"Yes, I know. Why?"

"I'm going to sorry Death later. When Tabitha wakes up, let all of us go to her graveyard, okay?"

"Why…Kuro…" Lyrica looks at Kuro. Then suddenly she sits straight up: "Are you going to…"

"Yeah. Can't let her die in vain. Besides, I need someone to protect Henrietta while I'm away, so…" He stops, as Lyrica hugs him tightly. "Thank you…Thank you…Thank you…" He pats her back as she hiccups in her happy cries.

Malthida, no, Linda says to Kuro: "So, is there anything else?"

"A game plan, obviously." Then a hologram appears before us. "Now, we have to…"

* * *

Nighttime, Tabitha's POV

Warm…That's how I feel when my conscious returns. Something is covering me, and when I open my eyes, I see a blue blanket over me. Then I look at my left to see something shining dimly. It's like a candle, but its light is stable, it's not swaying a bit. Then I look at the ceiling which is not from my room, obviously. I crawl to my right, and let my feet touch the floor. My staff is leaning to the table, which is too clean to me. I grab my staff and walk out of the door. Then I look at what seems to be a royal house. Everything is …clean, and there're a lot of stuffs I have never seen before. Where am I? The last time I remember…

"You're awake, princess."

I snap instantly to the voice and point my staff to it, even though I know who owns that voice. Kuro is sitting at a table, looking at something… rectangle? It's flashing light to his face, but he doesn't mind it. I walk slowly to him.

"How long…have I been out?"

Kuro looks at the clock on the wall. "Probably…three hours or so. You missed dinner."

"I can see that. Now, tell me, why're you doing all of it?"

"For your happiness obviously, Tabitha. Don't be so harsh to Kuro like that." Kirche appears from one of the door, and she's holding a tray of food. "Kuro, are you sure you're not going to eat?"

"I'm fine Kirche. You can have them with Charlotte."

"Awesome!" She then puts the tray on the table, and pulls me to it. "Come on, Tabitha! Let's eat!"

I pull out my emotionless personality: "Not…hungry…" But my stomach says otherwise.

She giggles: "I think you are. Now, let me feed you." Now I notice, the food here is not something you would see everyday. Some of them look luxurious. She uses the fork to pick some vegetables for me and puts them in front my mouth. "Say 'Ah', Tabitha."

I look at her. I don't really have any choices, do I? "Ah…" Then she puts the food in my mouth, and I start chewing. The food is…surprisingly good, I have to admit. Even more than the food he gave to me before…

Kirche looks at me hopefully: "Is that good?"

I nod. Kirche shouts happily: "Yay! She praises my work." Kirche? Cook? "Thank you Sakuya!" She shouts at another room, then turns back to me: "I will be here with you until you eat everything okay? I'm not letting you go now, am I?"

As she continues giving me food, I notice that Kuro sometimes gives me a quick look, then look back to his thing.

I stop Kirche before she could do more. "Where's the others?"

"Oh. The professors have returned to their rooms. Louise, Saito and Lyrica are in the basement, training and helping Louise with her power. Princess is watching them too."

"Did he…" I take a quick look to Kuro.

"He told us everything, Tabitha. Even your real name. Seriously, we're friends, Tabitha. Why don't you ask me for help?"

"I…" I sigh. "I don't want you to pull in my problem. It's mine alone. And… I don't want to see you being hurt."

"I know, but still…oh and, are you trying to kidnap Louise now?"

I look at Kuro. He's not reacting to it.

"No…And even if I want to, I can't. Kuro is here."

She spoons me some more. Then… "What're you going to do now?"

"I…I'm going to return back. Even if you know about my secrets, I still have to…"

"Then, can you wait for a few days, or at least after the familiar Exhibition?"

"Why?"

"Well, I'm going with you back, along with T.O."

I couldn't believe it. Why did she want to go to my home?

"Why? There's nothing there."

"Nothing? What about your mother?"

"!"

"We're going there to save your mother, silly."

…

"Is this Kuro's plan? To put you all in danger?"

"Yes, it's his plan. But he's not putting anyone in danger."

"How can you trust him like that?"

"Then why did you trust him before he spilt out all the truth?" That's…not entirely wrong. I thought about Kuro as a friend in need. But I never thought that I would trust him so much like before… "Look, Tabitha. I know you hate him after he uncovered your past, but… He's doing it for you. He's going to get your family back, okay? And we will help you with that."

… I really want to trust them, but…

"Also, he was planning to take you and your mother to Gamindustri. Isn't that great?" What?

I ask Kuro instantly: "Why do you want to do it? After everything…"

"You're my citizen. That's enough for me."

A bit of silence.

"…Why do you believe that? If it's not the truth, then what?"

"First, it's the story your mother read for you several years ago." He knows? "She changed it, but the abridged version is pretty much what happened to the Goddesses. Second, the spells you did before. They're Rom's magic spells, one of the Goddesses mind you. Only a few can use those spells. And third…" He pauses. "…I don't want to see you suffering anymore."

"Huh?" I ask him, stupidly.

"…"

"…"

"Between you three, you have…the darkest past. Even with Louise, she still has her family. You? You lost everything during that day. Your name, your title, your life. Even if you're not my citizen, I will still help you when the world turns their back to you… I have promised myself to help anyone I can. If not for it, I would never be here. I would never save the Goddesses. I would never save the vengeance souls. I would not… have met all of you. I want to…give you another family, the people in Gamindustri will help you with it. That, I will make it become the truth. I will make your wish come true."

Kuro…Even when I tried to push him away, even when I tried to ignore everyone's help…Even when I tried to kill him earlier… He didn't give up on me…He's still with me, he's still helping me…

"It sounds like you love her, Kuro."

Kuro doesn't react to that, but I do: I smack Kirche's arm as best as I can: "It…It's not like that, Kirche!"

Kirche smirks, oh no. "Hey, I'm talking to Kuro! Or do you have feeling for him too? Oh my, little Tabitha sure has grown up, heh?"

I shake her body with all I have, my face is red from embarrassment. "Stop, Kirche! I'm not you! I'm not in love with him, okay? Besides, he's over 60 years old, I'm not…"

"Oh ho ho! You're denying it, but your face is telling me otherwise. Now, now, little Tabitha, tell me everything!"

"NO! NOT IN FRONT OF…"

"Wow, the little girl sure has a good lung. I can hear her one floor down quite easily."

I look at the staircase, and see that the four have come up. However, the voice before doesn't belong to any of them. But I notice that Saito looks…a bit different. Its handle is slightly off-place, and…

"Derf, don't be rude like that." Saito looks at…the sword and say with it. And the handle moves a bit…

"Hey. I'm voicing what I'm thinking only, okay?"

Kirche is interested, as she walks to Saito and looks at the sword. "Hey, is the sword talking, Saito? Or you're trying to…"

"The voice is from Derflinger." I turn to Kuro, who's still not moving his eyes away from the thing… "He's a sentient sword, to put it lightly."

"That's right! I'm the great Derflinger! I have lived for over 6000 thousands years already! So put some respect to me!" Louise slams him into the scabbard. "You're too loud."

Saito asks Kuro: "How long did you know he's sentient?"

"Why do you even think your rune reacted to him in the first place? I thought he told you about his past?"

"Not enough. He only remembered that he knew Brimir and his familiar before, that's all. Though, when he woke up, he called me a user, why?"

"He's created by the first Gandalfr, Sasha. I think Sasha put a spell on him, so that the future Gandalfr can find him and use him in his fullest. I'm not really sure about that."

Lyrica walks next to Kuro and looks at the thing on the table: "How's the army so far?" Army?

"It seems Reconquista is planning to make an assault to Albion's Capital City in about a week. Prince Wales is under-covered because they haven't found him yet. The letter is with him. For now, our plan is to locate him as soon as possible, and push back Reconquista's assault, giving the citizens enough time to evacuate."

I stand up, walk next to him and see what they're looking at. And I'm surprised when I see the map of the known parts of Halkeginia on it. I ask Kuro while pointing to the thing: "What is this thing?"

Kuro answers: "Oh? This is a computer, or a laptop to be specific." Computer? Laptop? "Just think of it as a magical scroll." Blank stare from me. "I will explain later. Now…" He lifts both his arms up, and the image before me moves up, passes through the laptop thing and expands. The map is even more detailed than the one Joseph gave me before. He then points to the map, it suddenly phases a bit towards, making me nearly point my staff to it. Then, the image of the Academy shows up. At least, it's the look from the above.

"As you can see Tabitha, we're in here." He points to the castle. Then, the map moves a bit further, to a place where some bones of a dragon are there. "Tomorrow morning, we're going there to retrieve a friend of mine back." The others have walked behind him and next to me. "In the afternoon, we're enjoying the Exhibition, so nothing much. Then…" The view gets higher, and two red dots appear in the map, one in Albion if I'm right and one…is near the Lagdorian Lake in Gallia area. If my guess is right, then…it's my house.

"Right now, we have two objectives: the first one is to make a run to Albion and help Prince Wales push back the Reconquista's army until he evacuated all of citizens out, dead or alive. I, Saito and Louise will take this task, we can't risk a big team to go there. The second one is to retrieve Charlotte's mother back, and if possible, ask the elf who's guarding her to join our side, and if we can rendezvous to you, we'll find Malthida's sister as well. Kirche, Charlotte, you're going with Linda and The Observer. He could prove you support just like me, however, he won't take battles in large scale. The Princess will be here with Lyrica and Cave, they can protect her in my position. If necessary, I will ask **the kids** to protect her as well. Are there any objections?"

"Yes." He looks to me. "How much time do you think it's going to take?"

"To you, if you're taking a carriage, then you know it's going to be two days, right? But when you get the objective done, T.O will teleport you back here, or if our group can do it in time, you can stay there for one day to get your time back with her, then we'll make another plan. Although, the fight with Reconquista might take a few days. Anymore?"

"Who is Malthida? And Linda as well?"

"Miss Longueville will answer that."

"Are you expecting him to go with us?"

He doesn't say immediately… "If not, we would just beat him up and let him go away. I don't think we should waste his usefulness, even if it's for the elves."

Kirche then asks Kuro: "But, I feel that three of you can't really do much… I mean, who would expect three kids to do anything?"

"You have your point. That's why I faked the Queen's identity to ask for someone's help."

Silence. Then Henrietta asks: "Why did you have to do it? Why not asking my mother directly? She's in debt to you and T.O, right?"

"No. She must not know about this yet. Louise knows this person. But, I will see if this guy is actually good like people keep telling, or else…" The room suddenly drops temperature.

Louise asks him, fearfully: "Someone I know? But why did you…"

Then, it's normal again. "Universal problems. Don't think about it much Louise. If there's no more objections…You can go back to your rooms, or you can find some rooms in my house. Your choice."

Saito scratches his head: "Well, I will stay here, that's for sure. Cannot stay with Louise forever."

Lyrica says, a bit embarrassed: "Maybe I will too. I don't really have any places to stay."

Kuro nods. "Then Henrietta, can you stay with Lyrica for the time being?"

She nods: "I suppose so. We need to know each other more, right?" Lyrica nods. Then Kuro turns to me, Kirche and Louise: "What about you three?"

I'm about to answer, when Kirche suddenly says: "Can we have a sleepover here?"

He shrugs: "I don't have a problem, really. At least you three are quieter than the Goddesses."

Louise asks him in interest: "The Goddesses came here too?"

"In Gamindustri, yes, occasionally. But since I'm using my sub-dimension, you can't meet them if I do not allow them to come. Sorry."

Kirche waves her hand: "Don't be. Now you two, let's go!" Then she grabs me and Louise in the waist, making Louise yelp in surprise, and runs back to the room I just exited. But before that, she turns back a bit. "I forgot, you haven't answer my question back then, Kuro!" I try to cover her mouth with my hand, but my position doesn't allow me to do so.

"If I say my answer is a yes?" He winks at us. My face instantly heats up.

"You hear that, Tabitha? Now we're having a lot of stories to say to each other!" Then she continues what she was doing.

* * *

Henrietta's POV

I didn't really understand much. Not his plan, he has explained it before and it's a solid plan. I'm talking about Kirche's question and why Tabitha, no, Charlotte suddenly turned red.

Lyrica asks him: "Uh, Kuro? What's Kirche's question?"

"She asked me if I loved Tabitha or not."

Saito looks…unsurprised. "So, in what way?" What?

"Uh, Saito? What do you mean by 'what way'?"

"Like I said, what way. Currently Kuro is over 60, however his mentality is still in his 20. So, he has multiple definitions of different words, and uses them to tease people."

I nod in understand. Saito asks Kuro again: "So?"

"Well, my soul part loves her, like lovers. But my mental part loves her as a daughter."

"Is that…even possible?"

Saito facepalms: "I should have remembered that. Screw logic, if we're talking to him."

Lyrica giggles: "Over those years, and you're still you. But…why did Saito say you're over 60? I thought it's only 8 years passed."

"8 years, if you count Hyperdimension years. I have been stuck with Neptune in Ultradimension in 19 years, but it's only 19 days for Hyperdimension. So, I'm over 60 now."

Lyrica: "Concept of time can't handle you either… Really, I was really surprised how you could be traumatized by us."

That perks my attention. "Really? Someone like Kuro could be traumatized?"

Kuro puts his hands up to cover his face: "Oh no, not that again…"

Saito looks at Kuro in surprise: "I know that he's actually scared easily by gore or horror stuffs. But to make him traumatized? I never heard about."

Lyrica giggles: "Well, it's Red's idea actually. Do you two want to listen in detail?"

Saito: "Well, we do have a bit of time before we hit the bed. So yeah, go ahead."

Then we sit at the table Kuro's currently in, as he sighs and makes the screen go back to normal. Then he puts his earphone up, a device to listen to music without disturbing everyone else, and says to us: "If you want to ask me something, just ask. I'm going to play a bit." Then he starts his constantly clicking sounds.

Lyrica starts her story: "It was a normal weekend, in the peace era. My friends and I were taking a bath in the mix bath hot-spring in Planeptune, when Red suddenly called for Kuro to go there. One of my friends, Cyberconnect2 or CC2, asked her why. She smiled and said that she wanted to prank him, and told us to do our sexiest poses as possible. Of course, we knew that Kuro already had IF and Compa as his wives already, but he's still extremely shy when he's around with girls, especially in bath. So, when Kuro came in…I think you can imagine that, right?"

Saito nods. "Yep. However, that's every man's dream. I don't think he would be traumatized like that."

"Well, if he's true to his age, then that's not a problem. But…his soul is still the same before…so…"

I blink a bit, then I look at Kuro, who's still focusing in the screen, but his face is pink a bit. I think he's still listening to us.

I turn back and ask: "So, what happened when he walked in?"

"Well, he turned red and nearly immobilized himself, and after about a minute of us teasing him, he immediately teleported away. After that, we found out that he's hiding in Histoire's room, and he said to her to not let any of us come near for a full day. Histoire said that he's shaking the whole night, and only when IF and Compa came to comfort him, will him reluctantly go out. After that, even when his friends, boys mind I say, called him to go, he declined politely, but I'm sure he's screaming on the inside."

Lyrica and Saito laugh after that, as he looks to Kuro: "Oh my god, Kuro! No wonder you decided to sleep when you prepared the hot-spring for the Goddesses. I thought you're just tired after 7 years."

Kuro's face is fully red now. "So? I'm not you, okay? I'm still 20 in my heart."

I giggle a bit. I would never think that a person like Kuro could have that kind of fear. It's so adorable in its own way.

Saito coughs after his laugh: "Oh man, that's a good laugh. Anyway, I will hit the bed now. Oh, and Lyrica? Wish that our performance will go smoothly."

Lyrica nods. "I hope the same. Goodnight, Adam."

"Night." And he walks to his room.

I stand up as well. "Lyrica, let's go to your room, okay?"

"How about you two go to Charlotte's room? The bed is big enough, and Kirche said something about a sleepover, right?" Kuro turns his eyes away from the screen and looks at us.

"Do you think they will…"

"Louise is definitely happy if you join them, so go ahead." Then he looks back to what he's doing.

Lyrica pulls my hand and leads me to the door: "He has a point. Shall we?"

I nod, and Lyrica turns the doorknob...

…

…

I turn to Lyrica. "When did he prepare this?"

Lyrica nervously says: "I honestly don't know."

The room is completely in pink. In the middle of the room, there's a big pink bed that could fit at least 6 people, and Kirche, Louise and Tabitha are having pillow fight on it. Around the room, multiple dolls and teddy bears, big or small, are lying or sitting in position. There're also orbs of light float lazily in the air. I touch one, and it just sways a bit.

Louise stops what she's doing when she sees me: "Princess! No, Anna. What're you doing here?"

I smile: "Would you mind if I join your little sleepover?"

Louise stutters a bit: "Well, I…wouldn't mind…but…"

I keep my smile, and pick up the pillow which for some reasons appears out of nowhere under my feet. "It's quite a long time I had a free time, and…" I hold it like a weapon. "I'm sure I will enjoy this."

Kirche smirks at me and holds two pillows at once: "Oh now it's on! Henrietta, prepare to lose!"

After about an hour, we're so tired we're just lying on the bed, but smiling about what happened. The orbs of light start dimming, some of them just disappear. I look to Louise, who's breathing a bit heavy, but smiling like I am. "It's been a long time we had this much fun. We will do it again after your work is done, okay?" Louise turns to me. "Of course, Prin…Anna."

Kirche turns to Charlotte: "Isn't it the best, Tabitha? You can have this, like everyday now! You should feel great about it!"

Tabitha turns to his friend, the genuine smile on her face. "You're right. I don't have to concern about the problems now. But…"

Lyrica sits up and looks to her: "Charlotte, you can leave everything to Kuro. He will make everything right for you, and for us."

Charlotte looks at Lyrica, her smile drops a bit. "But…aren't we using him too much now? I mean, he didn't seem to be annoyed, but I think he's tired…"

"Charlotte… He's tired, and he knows it. But, he said to us that, as long as we're happy, then he's happy. He doesn't care much about his well-being, but he certainly does when it comes to his friends and family."

Charlotte looks at the ceiling, and her smile returns. "I can't really do anything much for him…"

"You don't need to. Just be yourself and be happy. That's the only thing he wants you to do. So, let's sleep. We've a long day tomorrow." Then we reposition ourselves and start driving into our sleep, while a song plays melodiously in the room…

* * *

 **Chapter 4 end!**

 **I hope this trick works: I try to copy-paste into an existed file in my account and change it. If this works, then thanks to the ones who gave out the idea on the forum. I'm very appreciated.**

 **SO, Tabitha is another descendant. There're three more like her, you can guess who they are.**

 **You guys know my style already right: Trying to save many lives as possible. So don't surprise if I somehow save Prince Wales.**

 **Malthida is Linda. If you think about it, those two actually have a lot in similarities: green hair, resemble a rat (Linda has her costume, and Malthida is working and announcing her work like rat), and they have to do dirty works to survive. Also, many from the two Universes are similar to each other, I have told some already.**

 **The next one to save is Cave. If you're saying: "Then why won't Kuro save Charlotte's father?" then this is my answer: I have limited Kuro's revival spell to only work on Gamindustrians. Meaning, even IF the resurrected person died again, then he still could revive them. However, if they die due to old age only, then he won't do it again. Sometimes, people should stay dead, it's our nature.**

 **AND the reason Lyrica is here, it's because of the above. I'm a fanboy, okay?**

 **So, if this way works, then...I will see you in the next chapters!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own my OCs and my story only. The others belong to their respective owners.**

 **Chapter 5 is here! It took me a while to write this one, and also it's New Year, so I don't really have time to write this. It's a bit late, but Happy New Year to everyone!**

 **To RedBurningDragon: This chapter will focus on Albion's event. You have to wait to the next chapter to see if your thinking is right or not.**

 **Also, the power Kuro uses will be extremely random. Meaning, you can see another games/animes references in my story. I will put my story in the right category so that you will know which is the main story.**

 **Without further waiting, enjoy reading everyone!**

* * *

Gamindustri, Research Land, center HQ, Schwarz's POV

"How long have it been, Weiss? A week, a month, more?"

"To our father, I think it's a week at most. To us, it's a month."

"Neptune and Nepgear has just returned too, but the citizens' problems are getting worse. And we're not even allowed to interact with the other Goddesses, what's our father thinking?"

That's my and your father's plan. You don't need to worry about…

"That's why we're worried. I know you want the best for us, but sometimes you act like a bad guy too much."

We're not planning to change this chain of events. If we change it, the future is not very well.

"I really, REALLY hope things go well. And, did he find anyone else?"

About…let me recheck. Five.

"Can you tell us…"

Nope. Spoilers. *smile innocently*

"Really? And is there more…?"

Of course there's more. You just asked how many he found, not how many there are.

Arfoire: "But then, why is Adam involved in this?"

Well, this one is not actually spoiler, so I will tell you. Adam's original is actually from Earth, in the name of Saito Hiraga.

Weiss: "Wait…Saito Hiraga…Isn't he from that novel my father…"

Yep, one and the same.

"Then why is he here?"

Reincarnation.

"… I won't press more into it. When will they come back?"

Quite a time. Only when the situation here is extremely dire, and…What, Kuro?

Weiss asks: "Our father is talking to you?"

Uh huh…Yeah… Alright…Wait, what army?

"Army? What does my father get into?"

Arfoire? Can you go to the main computer?

Arfoire answers, uncertainly about what's going on: "Uh, okay?" We walk to it.

Can you contact someone name **Alarak** please?

"That…doesn't sound like a human name…"

Because it isn't.

Arfoire: "All right…Contact made…We will have image in 3…2…1…" Then the screen flicks up, and the image of Alarak shows up, or at least we think so. He's clearly an alien, if his non-existence-nose-and-mouth face says it all. His eyes are like shining red rubies, and he's wearing a black armor with lots of sharp edges on it.

"Ah! What a surprise! I didn't think that lowly humans like you three would call me. What's the occasion? I hope you don't call just to talk a few stories."

"Lowly…" I say to him, anger in my voice. Weiss pats my shoulder: "I think he's acting like his original. Don't be so angry like that, Schwarz." Oh right, nearly forgot. I calm myself down.

"What the girl said is true. Besides, we're ordered to act like our originals, right? Don't really judge our tones to think us differently."

Arfoire: "He's right, you know? But I'm also curious. Alarak, do any of you know what Kuro is doing?"

Alarak: "Hmm…just a few days ago Sakuya appeared in his sub-dimension, but it's just some housework, nothing more."

Let me do the talking. Alarak, can we borrow your army?

Alarak: "The Creator? Why do you need our army? Kuro himself is enough…"

If he wants to do so, then we don't have to call you. However, we're dealing with fifty thousand soldiers, whose order is to eliminate everything on their way. Our objective is to evacuate the citizens out of the way, not to fight them.

Alarak: "Then why call us? I thought **Vorazun's army** is a better option? They're masters in stealth."

… *Head smashes to the table* Why the hell did I forget? I was planning to call **Artanis** before you too… Wait, what? You still need him?

Alarak: "What did Kuro say?"

…He said that he still needs you in the future too. So, at least prepare your army.

Alarak: "I understand. But why calling us, **The Protoss?** I thought calling **The Terran** is your first go?"

…Well…it's because… The Terran and **The Zerg** , meaning **Kerrigan** as well, are picked in another universe already. SO, I thought it's a good idea to introduce you too…Even though I do feel like you're too much for them…

Alarak looks…uninterested: "Really? That's your reason?"

Eh…Yes?

Alarak sighs, like he has a mouth: "I forgot you two are the same. All right, I will do it. But…I hope it's a good fight, otherwise it's a waste of time."

I hope so.

The screen goes off. Arfoire then looks at us: "I hope he's okay. Do you want to call Vorazun, Creator?"

No need to. I will ask her personally.

Weiss: "I'm not worried about him actually. I'm worried about people around him."

"Yeah, that's more problematic. But, what're we going to do now?"

"How about we visit the other nations?" The three of us look at the voice, and turns out it's Histoire.

Weiss greets her: "Hi Histoire. Nice to see you here."

"Same to me. But what about our father's request?"

Histoire: "Well, he changed it a bit. So now, we can visit the other nations. However, **when the festival come** , we have to return here immediately."

Weiss pouts: "Heh? Why can't we enjoy the festival?"

I understand his plan now. "He fears that if we visit the Goddesses too soon, then the festival would come sooner, right? Something bad will happen during it, right?"

Histoire nods. I sigh. "Of course it has to happen in that time. All right, let's not waste our time Weiss. Histoire, Arfoire, you're coming with us too."

Weiss spreads her arms into the air "YES! LET'S GO!" and walks out first, we follow her shortly.

* * *

Halkeginia, the forest near Cave's grave, Cave's POV Dead person can have their own moments, okay?

How long has it been? Thirty…Forty years? I have lost track of time. When I saved that young man, I have lost too many blood from the previous monsters in Gamindustri. Then, I have to use the last of my strength to kill the Wyvern which's attacking the man. Before I went down, I gave him my weapons and the badge Lyrica made for me to keep them save… Hopefully she could find it… But…Things are not that easy. I died, but now, my soul is clinging to this world…And I found out after that, that this world is not Gamindustri…It's a new world…My hope nearly shattered when I found out the hard truth…Then…I hope that…Kuro could find me, and Lyrica… and everyone…and…I don't want to be forgotten like this… Not after I confessed my feelings to her…

"Cave, please. Don't wander this far. It takes me 3 minutes to find you, you know?" I instantly look at the voice, and, it's Kuro in his signature clothes. He is here…in this world…

He walks to me, and uses his finger to wipe out the tears on my face, smiles. "Come on now, Cave. We've just met after those years, don't give me that face. It hurts my heart so bad." His voice…it's really Kuro… I instantly hug him, out of my happiness. "Kuro…I was so lonely…during those years…" He hugs me back, somehow it's possible to hug a ghost like me. "I know. And I'm sorry for it…" I cry in his shoulder for a while. I don't care how long it passes anymore, I have my friend with me now…I don't want this moment to go away…

He releases the hug. "Come on. Let's meet the others. Okay?" The others?

"What do you mean 'the others', Kuro?"

"Don't you want to meet Lyrica again?" LYRICA? SHE IS HERE?

"Is…is she okay? Did she get hurt?"

"Eh…at first, but my new friend has fixed her up." I pull his hand instantly and start walking back to my grave in fast pace, much to his surprise. "Hey, wait, Cave! I can walk on my own!"

"NO TIME TO WAIT! I want to talk with Lyrica, now!"

"Even when they can't see you?" I stopped when I heard it. I turn to Kuro.

"What do you mean?"

"What I just said. Right now, I'm the only one who can see you, since I'm already dead. The others, they can guess where you are, but they can't see you. Just walk back, and let me handle the rest, please?"

"Then…I can't talk to…"

He grins. "No way I'm taking your chance of talking to **your love** after forty years like that. I'm your friend, remember?" Then he gently pulls my hand to him, and starts walking with me out of the forest.

When we're back to my grave, I see a group of people there. My grave is already dug up, but somehow my body is still intact after those years. Then I see Lyrica, who notices Kuro walking back to them. She asks him: "Where did you go, Kuro? You suddenly ran off…"

"I need to find Cave. If not, I can't help her." He raises his hand up, with my hand in his.

Lyrica is confused for a second. "What are you holding, Kuro?"

He smiles, and pulls me to my grave. He lets go of my hand, then pulls out his **Book of Shadow** , and starts chanting. I suddenly feel like being sucked into my body, and before I noticed anything else, darkness fills my vision. A bit later, I feel the hard ground on my back, the cold of the air running around me, and the smell of trees…I open my eyes, to see everyone is looking at me. They see my eyes opened as they back away. I sit up, then move both my hands before my eyes. This…my body…I can feel again…Then I look at Lyrica, who's having tears on her face now, she's crying in happiness…I open my mouth…

"Lyrica…You're…"

"CAVE!" She instantly runs to me and hugs me tightly, as I hug her back as well. "Cave! You're back to me! I was so scared that you might leave me forever! I…I'm…" Her voice, her scent… It's truly Lyrica that I remembered and loved. The person I has found for my life, the person I shared my moments with for a long time… I pull her out a bit and look into her eyes, tears flowing on my face as well. "I'm here now, Lyrica. I'm not leaving you again. We're together now." She nods in happiness, and pushes her lips to mine, which I gladly accept it. I don't care what people are thinking about us now…Now I have Lyrica back, I'm not letting her go anymore… And I heard the Paradise Song too. Kuro, you really know how to put the mood on.

About a minute later, we release the kiss, and Lyrica pulls me up. I look at her a bit more, then turn to Kuro, who has just pocketed his flute. "You just want to do that, don't you?"

"Hey, you like it, don't you?" He grins. I shake my head while smiling. "Anyway, you should introduce to the others too."

After the introduction, I gain a lot of information. Apparently Kuro was summoned here by a mage name Charlotte, or Tabitha, to be a familiar. I was a little confused when I heard it the first, because I know a person like Kuro would not bow to someone with no reason. Then, the reason is out: Tabitha is actually a descendant of someone who's killed in the Last Battle and got resurrected here. There're more out there, but he couldn't rush because of the events that will happen in the future. He also told me that the event happened 8 years ago, and he has destroyed the world. But he's finding the citizens back to a better Hyperdimension, where he has fixed the problems that occurred in our past. Then to the pink hair mage named Louise and her familiar Saito Hiraga or Adam. He is the native of the new Hyperdimension, but he was from Earth before his reincarnation. Then to the red hair mage named Kirche, she reminded me of Lady Vert, except more flirtatious. Next, the person who summoned Lyrica is Henrietta, the princess of this nation we're in now. Then to the professors: Old Osmond, whom I saved a long time ago, is the headmaster of the Academy, where my friends are currently staying now, and where the mages are studying. Professor Colbert and miss Longueville are the staff there, but the woman revealed that she's actually Linda, meaning she's Kuro's citizen. I nearly didn't trust her if it was during Nepgear's adventure, but the fact that Kuro helped her and turned her into a better person changed my point of view to her.

After the story, Kuro opens up a wooden crate and pulls out my weapon: **Jilbalard and Option.** I pocket them inside my hammerspace, which surprises the Princess. I ask Kuro: "I'm appreciated that you give me a second chance. But what's your plan now?"

"I will tell you during our way back to the Academy. Everyone, let's go."

* * *

The next day morning, Tristain Academy of Magic, Kuro's POV My god, the goddamn wiki, can you make up your mind? I search the name of the Academy, and two names give out the same result =.=.

"Everyone remembers the plan?"

Malthida: "Of course. Don't be worried. We'll get everything done. Just focus on your objective."

"I hope so. Sorry Henrietta for leaving so soon. And for borrowing the ring…"

Henrietta: "Don't be, Kuro. You're helping me a lot. This is nothing. But, make sure to give my letter to him, personally okay?"

"Of course. I still need to meet him personally anyway."

Saito: "By the way, where's the person you asked for help?"

"I told him to get to Port City La Rochelle already. We'll meet him there. T.O, keep the group safe, okay?"

T.O nods. "You don't need to tell me twice." I nod in satisfaction, then grabs Saito and Louise's shoulder.

Cave and Lyrica: "Be careful, all of you."

Old Osmond: "Return safe, everyone. I don't want to see bad news from another people."

I turn back and grin: "Don't worry. We're not letting it happen." Then I use my Teleportation power, and in a second, we're in the entrance of the city. Of course, it doesn't go unnoticed by the guards.

"Halt! State your business!" Really, dude? I mean, security and all, but you should be asking "How did you do that?" before that. And pointing your weapons at someone who looks nothing suspicious is… Maybe I'm a little bit, since I'm wearing a lab coat, but…

"We just need to pass here to go to the port to Albion. Can we go through?"

The guards now finally notice that we're just teenagers. "Why are you three here without your parents? Kids shouldn't walk alone like that."

"KIDS? Do we look like kids to you?" Louise shouts to the two guards, make them step back a bit in surprise. I put my hand to her shoulder. "Well, you do look like a kid, so…" "Don't say about my size like that!" Saito gently pulls her back a bit. I turn back to the guards. "Sorry, she's a bit sensitive about it. But, we can handle on our own well. Don't worry about it. And…" I stop a bit. "…It's a bit related to the Albion problems."

The guards let their guard up even more. "What are you going to do?"

"We're planning to get there, and help the Prince to evacuate every citizen out of there, and the royal themselves."

One of the guards raises his eyebrows: "The three of you?"

I shake my head. "Of course not. Tell me, was there a Noble with gray hair and blue eyes?"

The other answers: "There is one. But…"

"We're going to meet him. Believe or not, he knows us, or at least one of us. The Queen asked him to meet us here."

Both of them are surprised when I mention the Queen. But… "Okay. You will go in, but wait for a moment. I will call another nearby guard to escort you there. We cannot trust your words that easy."

I shrug. "Fair enough. We can wait a bit."

When one guard comes inside, I turn back to the two. Louise is still fuming a bit about earlier. I smile at her adorableness and pats her head: "Oh, come on now. You are small, but you're cute. You should be proud of that." She blushes, but still crosses her arms and turns to the direction that's not heading to me. Hehe, Tsundere is cute.

Saito asks me: "How are you going to find him?"

"IF we're lucky, then we can meet him in the port. If not, we'll try to find him in the nearby inns."

Louise suddenly asks me: "This Noble…is his name Jean?"

"Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes?" She nods. "Yep, that's him."

Saito: "Why did you have to ask him specifically like that?"

"He is Louise's finance."

Saito lets his mouth hanging out, as he looks Louise in surprise. "Wait…her finance?"

"Uh…What are you surprised about? The fact that she has a finance, or…"

"No, I think it's more of the fact that she loves a person already…and engages to the person…"

"HEY! What do you mean like that?" Louise glares at him, as Saito waves his hands in front of him. "I mean no disrespect, Louise. If you love someone in the young age, I'm not saying anything. But to engage in your age already…"

"It's true we love each other, but engagement hasn't happened yet. My parents just promised him to let me marry him in the future."

"Oh…" That's his answer for the explanation. Then, the previous guard arrives, along with another one. "Okay, you three. Follow him to the port."

We follow the new guard to go inside the city. During the walk, due to my own boredom, I ask the guard. "How long have you been here?"

He glares at me. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just curiosity. Besides, the love birds here are with each other and I have no one else to currently talk to so…" "WE'RE NOT A COUPLE!" "Don't you feel bored overtime?"

He relaxes his look: "Well, it seems you don't have any bad intentions. I have lived here for a life time, and only been a guard for two years."

"Is life here tough?"

"Not really. But… the war in Albion affects us a bit…We're not really been attacked, but it will be in the future for sure…"

"Do you guys have back up plans for that if it happens?"

"We do…But can we do it in time is the matter…"

"I see…"

"I heard from the gate guard that you're going to Albion?" I nod. "It's a warzone, you know?"

"We know that. The Princess' concern for her cousin leads us here."

He looks at me in surprised. "Princess? Of Tristain?"

"Yep."

He looks to Louise and Saito, who is talking to each other, and helping each other in controlling magic, mostly in Louise's case, then turns back at me: "You're her friends?"

"You could say something like that."

"Why?"

"Those two are definitely her friends. Me, though, I don't think I deserve to be called as one."

"Man, you risk your own life just to make sure the Princess' cousin safe, if you're not her friend, then I don't know who you can be. Her lover?" We both laugh at that.

We have reached the port, and said our goodbyes to the guard, who happily returned the gesture. We walked around a bit to try and see if we could find Wardes in the middle of the sea of people. We didn't have to look much though, because he found us first.

"Louise, is that you?" Wardes runs to Louise, and hugs her with everything he gets. "I'm so glad you're here, my dear Louise. The Queen told about you being here and sent me here to help you out."

Louise blushes at what her finance is doing. "Wardes, please! It's embarrassing! Put me down!"

"It's been a long time since we last met each other. Let me enjoy this moment a little bit."

…

'Creator?' Yeah? 'Why do I feel like Wardes is a little OOC?' It's OOC, yes. But, is it OOC if you already know his real personality? '…You have a point, but…this creeps me out more than in the original…Or is it just because I'm looking at in for real?' Yeah. I feel the same, not just you.

Saito decides it to be enough, as he puts one hand on Wardes' shoulder and uses the other one to pry his arm out of Louise. "That's enough, sir. Louise is a little discomfort here. It's also in public too, so stop it." He successes, and Louise steps on her feet again, her face is red.

Wardes looks at him. "May I ask, who are you?"

"I'm Saito Hiraga, Louise's familiar. You must be the Noble Kuro told me about." Wardes has a look of surprise on his face, as he turns to ask Louise: "Is he telling the truth? He's your familiar?" She nods.

"You should check your surrounding first before your focus, Jean." He turns to me as I offer him a hand-shake. "Kuro, at your service." He takes it. "Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes. You go with them?"

"Yes. You read the letter the Queen gave you, right?"

"Of course. Doesn't mean I'm surprised to see a young person like you."

"Well, it's everyone's question. Anyway, have you checked the port yet? Is there any available ships to Albion?"

He looks to the ship just a bit behind me. "That's the one. However, they don't have the Wind stones for the ship to operate. It's about three more hours before we can leave."

"A bit troublesome. But it's bearable. So, should we go to some bar and take some drinks?"

Wardes doesn't suspect about it. "Of course. But…" He turns to Saito. "I want to test him first." Saito raises his eyebrows. "Test?" "I want to make sure my finance's familiar is strong enough to protect her."

Saito's about to retort, when I immediately send him the message: 'Just do it. Besides, he's more or less your rank. Even if things go south, I could jump in.' Saito gets it, and nods to Wardes. "Well, I don't really have an objection. Where should we have our fight?"

"There's a parade ground nearby. And it's out of people's sight too. It won't make our fight interrupted."

Saito nods. "Lead the way, sir." The two walk away, Jean walks before Saito. Louise was about to stop them, but I use my left hand to clamp her mouth, and my right hand to put a finger on my lip, signaling her to be quite. She complies, and we start following the duo.

When we reach the place, I and Louise pick a nearby stack of barrels to stand, since it's a good place to see the fight and not being in the middle of it. Wardes and Adam stand to each side of the circle in the middle of the ground, weapon ready on their hands.

"Before we begin…" Adam asks. "…Are there any rules about how many hits to win?"

Wardes thinks a bit, then… "I think two is a reasonable number."

"Fair enough." Adam holds Derflinger with both hands, and brings him up horizontally in front of his face. Wardes just points his sword towards Adam…

"This guy sure is tough. Better keep your guard up, Saito." Wardes was surprised a bit when he heard Derflinger speaking. "Is the sword…just talking?"

"Shouldn't you focus on this fight Wardes?" Adam asks him, makes him snap out of his confusion and focus on Adam. Neither of them make a move for a minute.

Louise looks a little impatience as she asks me: "Why don't they fight already? It's a minute already!"

"Louise…" I turn to her. "In this kind of fight, who makes a wrong move first loses. They have to observe the opponent very carefully before deciding how to attack. If you're in the middle of war, you can bypass that though for just a little moment or just try to overwhelm your opponent with all you got. But, in a duel, that's the key of determining who will win." She nods at me, and looks back to the fight.

Two more minutes pass…

"Air strike!" Wardes thrusts his sword forward, creating a wind force towards Adam, and runs to him with his sword still pointing at him. "Flame Strike!" Adam swings Derflinger down, a fire wave fired out of him and completely passes through Wardes' spell and destroys it. Wardes sidesteps to his right instantly to avoid the spell, makes his left vulnerable. Adam makes a big leap to him and swings horizontally, causing Wardes to block the strike with his sword. However, since he loses balance after the dodge, Wardes is knocked back a bit, and before he could stand correctly, Adam sends a clear punch from his left hand to Wardes' chest, making Wardes to step several steps back to regain balance.

"One for me." Adam returns back to his stance. Wardes looks at Adam in surprise, probably didn't expect him to have magic as well. Then he smirks. "Well, my fault for doubting your abilities. Now, let's fight for real. Electro Bolt!" This time, four thunder sparks fly towards Adam, as he's forced to jump backward. Wardes then starts thrusting his swords continuously, Adam either has to dodge or block them with his sword. And with the last strike that **nearly hits Adam's heart** , he pushes Adam back a few steps, and then jumps to the air and delivers a direct hit down with another Air Strike and flings Adam away.

"One for me as well." Adam starts pushing himself out of the ground. He looks at Wardes, and now both of them just smile. One last hit and it's final.

"You are a good fighter I will give you that. For someone who uses a rapier, you can hold on pretty well."

"You as well. I'm surprised you can actually use magic. But, let's see if my Air is better than your Fire."

I smirk, and mumble so only Louise can hear me. "Wardes is doom." "Why?" "You'll see."

Adam smirks at Wardes' statement. "We'll see. Pillar of Fire!" He thrusts Derf to the ground, and fire erupts between them creating a pillar. Wardes blocks the heat with his left hand, then chants a spell and strikes the pillar, causing it to extinguish. Then he sees Adam just standing there, no actions of defending present on him. Wardes takes it and strikes him, only to be frozen instantly, and the figure of Adam breaks apart. Then the real Adam delivers a right hook to Wardes' chin, breaking him out of frozen state, but also ends the duel as Wardes is flung backward and pounces back a bit with his whole body.

Louise gasps in concern, and looks at me. I give her a nod, and she runs to Wardes as Adam puts Derf back to his back and walks to me.

"Wardes is good. If this is how Square-Mages fight, then I'm looking forward to fight some more."

"We'll have the chance for it. For now, let's see if our friend here is okay." He nods and we walk to Wardes, who starts sitting up with the help of Louise. Saito offers him his hand. "It's a good fight, sir. But, this time, I win."

Wardes looks at Saito's hand a bit, then to him, and with a smile, grabs his hand and pulls himself up. "I lost, I will accept it. But, next time, I will win." Saito smiles. "We'll see about that."

"So…" The three of them look at me. "It's a good fight. Now, care for a drink?"

* * *

We go to a bar in the anime. Wardes and Louise call for some wines, while I and Saito order some coffee. Luckily this world has coffee. I don't really like bitter taste, but sometimes I need to change a bit.

After a few sips from our drinks, Wardes asks first: "You can use both Fire and Water, Saito? And without a wand as well?"

Saito: "Both I and Kuro can actually use all four elements to be exact. We need to balance our power, focusing in one would make us vulnerable to the other elements. And about no wand, our cultures have different ways to draw the power in ourselves, if there's a wand, it's just to be more accurate in hitting the spell."

Wardes nods. "It's true. But I saw that you can wield both the elements very well, despite the fact they counter each other."

Saito: "It's a little hard to use. But, some tricks like that could save our lives good."

Wardes then turns to me: "I forgot to ask, but you're not someone very familiar to me. You're not from around here?"

I shake my head. "I and Saito are from the same place, and our place is a little distant from the nations."

Wardes: "You're not from any of the nations?"

"We're travelers, everywhere is our home, but our original is far away."

Louise suddenly asks me: "How are you going to find Wales anyway? He's hiding, you know."

"Leave that part to me. I have a way."

Saito: "But then, how are we going to return back? Even if the citizens ARE safe, the soldiers won't have a way to return, unless they try to use their own battleships."

I smirk at him. "You forget who I am?" He looks at me a bit, then… "You called one of your private armies?" "Of course."

Wardes and Louise look at me, their eyes widen. "PRIVATE ARMIES?"

I wave my hands. "Just something small, don't worry."

Wardes is not finished. "An army is not a small thing. Also, you have a private army with you, then why…"

"Do you think calling an army right at the beginning just to make sure one person is safe is a good idea?" Wardes thinks about it, then shakes his head. "That's what I thought. Besides, I could call them out in few minutes, so there's no worries." I look at my watch. "We should wander around after finishing our drinks, we've got lots of time. How does that sound?"

* * *

Let's jump the time, shall we?

We're on the ship to Albion now, and it is night time. Specific destination: Scarborough Port. But, it will take about a day to get there, so we're kind of stuck here for a while. Luckily we have rooms to stay already, otherwise…

"Do you think letting Wardes with Louise in the same room is a good idea?" Saito asks me. We only have two rooms, so I and Saito stay in one, while Wardes and Louise stay in the other.

"Even if it's risky, there's no way he dares to pull out any stunts. Even with his griffin…" Yeah, the griffin, it almost blew off my cover when it tried to attack me. But it raised Wardes' suspicion about me already. I really wanted to kill it right there, but…

"That thing's smarter than it looks. Wardes probably trained it well. But why do you think he wouldn't do anything?"

"We're a thousand feet on the air, and no allies of his are on this ship."

"He can use his Fly spell…"

"And I can lock his magic…"

"Then, his griffin…"

"One clean headshot is enough to take it down."

"…Even if all of them fail, you can order Death to kill him…"

"Yep."

"…Okay. I'm not going to bother about that. Next problem: We will reach the port in tomorrow noon, but then we'll have another day to Newcastle. How are we going to go pass the battlefield?"

"We just have to fight through it if necessary."

"Don't tell me that's your plan? Us four won't go far, even if you can cover all of us."

"You're underestimating me, my friend. I got that covered."

"Your army?"

"No, Albion's one."

"You're not expecting them to fight for us, right?"

"Not really. If we go with them, we can fly directly to Newcastle."

"Then how are we going to find them? They're also hiding, right?"

"There's a way, don't worry. Let us rest for tomorrow."

"Guess so. Night."

* * *

The next day, Louise's POV

We're standing on the ship's deck, while admiring the beauty of the floating island. The excited ones here are Saito and Kuro, although Kuro just stands there and see with admiration on his face. Saito otherwise…

"WOW! A freaking floating island! It's like Celestia all over again!" Does he mean Celestial?

Wardes chuckles: "Indeed. It's worth the name 'The White Country' with it. You could say it's the Celestial of Halkeginia if you want to."

Saito nods, his eyes are literally sparkling now. I giggle a bit at his childishness. From the time I interact with him, both he and Kuro act just like their twenty appearance, even though they're older than both me and Wardes…

"Unidentified ship on starboard side!" We all look to our right, and true to the lookout's words, a ship is approaching our ship now, its size is way bigger than ours and lines of cannons are jutted out of holes on its portside. We're readying our weapons now if things go south, except Kuro, who just smiles when he sees the ship coming to us.

Saito asks him: "Eh, Kuro? Is that your army?" "No." It's Kuro's answer, still smiling. The lookout hoisted the signal flags. A moment later and no response from the other ship.

Wardes seems to think about this situation, when the captain asks Kuro fearfully: "Mister, do you know what ship is that?" "A pirate ship." Kuro answers nonchalantly. The captain's fear is confirmed as he shouts at Kuro: "Then why don't you look like you're scared? They're pirates for Brimir's sake!" Kuro looks at the captain eyes, then says a sentence that none of us would think he dares to say. "Let the pirates come."

Wardes pushes Kuro on the shoulder so that his eyes meet Kuro's. "Are you kidding me? You're telling me you're letting the pirates capture us?" "Of course not. However, let them near our ship. I will deal with the rest." Just after he said that world, the unknown ship sails parallel to us and shoots a warning shot right before our ship. Then a four-color signal flag is hoisted from that ship.

"Sir?" "Let them." The captain sighed in defeat, as he gave the orders to his crew. "Wrap sails. Stop the ship." Our ship stopped, and the other ship started closing their distance to us. The captain looked at Kuro one last time, and before he walked away… "Sir, if we die today, it's your fault." "Don't worry. No one else will spill blood today." No one else? What does he mean?

A while later, the pirates start walking on our ship and pointing their guns to each of us. One of them looks at our group and says: "What do we have here? A group of Nobles? You're way too far from your home." Wardes is holding on his sword's handle. The pirate takes notice. "Don't do any harsh, lad. If you move, I'll shoot."

"Isn't that right?" Kuro says out loud, and pushes the gun out of his head and starts walking to the pirate ship. What's he doing?

"HEY! I said stop!" The one who pointed the gun at Kuro repositions his gun to Kuro's back, but he keeps walking. "I'm going to shoot! Stop now!" Kuro does stop, but turns his head back to him. "Then shoot. I did move, right?" He smirks, and then keeps walking. When he reaches to the edge of the bridge…

*Bang* The shot goes through Kuro's heart. All of the crew on our ship gasp in fear, except me and Saito, since we know bullets are just play things to him. Kuro's head looks down at the wound, then looks back to the shooter, disappointment on his face. "Really? In the heart? Next time, aim to the head. But, don't waste it on me. I won't go down just like that." Then he just casually continues to walk, much to everyone's surprise. And when he steps on the floor of the pirate's ship, every single person of that crew points their guns to him, fear written on their face. He continues his walk up one floor and stops at a door, then he opens the door and walks in.

When he's completely out of our sight, the shooter before reloads his gun and points to us again. Right now, everyone is having surprise, fear and confusion on their face, including Wardes. Saito though…

He facepalms. "Really Kuro? This is the supposed back-up you said before?"

The pirate in front of him looks at him in irritation. "What do you mean? Also, you saw your friend got shot like that, and you don't even care?"

"You guys just shot a god, who's basically impossible to be killed. What do you expect?" All of them now are shaking in their boots. The previous pirate shouts at him: "Don't fool me like that! Gods don't exist! Brimir's only human like us!"

"I just speak the truth. Believe it or not, your choice." Saito shrugs, retracting his hand from Derf's handle. The captain of our ship widens his eyes in surprise as well.

Wardes looks at Saito: "What more did you hide from us? About the 'back-up'?"

Saito shrugs again: "I'm not sure about it actually. Let's wait for Kuro to return." Then he pulls out a bottle of water out of nowhere and starts drinking, despite the fact a 'pirate' is pointing a gun point-blank at him. He even offers the bottle to the person before him, but receives a 'what're you doing' look, so he makes the bottle disappear, and then just stands and looks at where the room Kuro walked into. About a minute later…

"I suppose that's where your Captain is?" He asks the pirate. "Uh, yes?" Just as he finishes his answer, Kuro walks out, along with a person whom I think is the captain of the pirate ship. Although, this captain looks a bit…too clean to be one. He looks like a Noble, like us with his blonde hair and a blue navy uniform.

The new person starts talking: "Everyone! Lower your weapons! They are friendly." The 'pirate' crew stops pointing their guns and looks to their captain. Then he walks down the stair and goes to our ship, with Kuro following behind him. The captain then stands before our captain and offers him a handshake, which ours accepts hesitantly. "Sorry about this ruckus. We need to use scare tactics if we want to make sure our survival."

Wardes looks at Kuro and asks: "You know the Captain of that ship?"

Kuro turns to him: "All of us know him to be exact. This…" He points his thumb to the new captain: "is Prince Wales Tudor of Albion." A moment later…

"WHAT? PRINCE WALES?" All of the crew, I and Wardes shout at the same time. The person who's leading the pirate ship is the prince of Albion?

Kuro nods. I look at Saito. He's having a bored look on his face. Then, he asks the person next to him: "Can I borrow your gun a bit?" He gives the gun to him, and…

*BANG* This time Saito shoots Kuro right to the head, and Kuro's body falls on the floor. Everyone looks to Saito in surprise, including Prince Wales, as Saito gives the gun back to the owner, and walks to Kuro, then kneels down.

"I'm pretty sure your wives would do worse to you. Scaring everyone off like that…"

"Well, I guess I deserved it." Kuro speaks up, scaring everyone even more as Saito pulls him up, Kuro's wounds start reversing back like nothing happened. He then looks to the captain of our ship, who is shaking violently. "Was I right, no one else spilt blood?" He nods in the same manner. "For my group, I'm appreciated that you've taken us to this point. Now, we're taking the other ship to go directly to Newcastle, hope you don't have any objections?" He nods again. "Good." Then he turns to us. "Can you go and take your stuff? Our destination will be Newcastle."

* * *

Moments later, Wales' room, Kuro's POV

"Jerk…" A simple word from Louise. Right now we're sitting at the big table. Wales is in one end of the table, our group is sitting at both his sides with me and Saito on one side and the others on the other. It's about a minute of no words being exchanged after we sat in the table.

"I say my apology to the crew, right? Don't be like that anymore, please."

Wales: "But I was really surprised. You walked into my room with a bullet wound right at your heart, and yet you talked with me like nothing happened."

Saito: "No disrespect, Prince Wales, but you just have to deal with it when it comes to Kuro."

Wales nods. Wardes then asks him: "May I ask how he knows you?"

Wales shakes his head: "I don't even know how. I was in my disguise when he just walked in and talked to me. So I just changed back to my normal outfit now."

Louise asks him: "Then, may I ask about Princess' letter? Where is it?"

Wales: "I put it in a box, which is sealed with my strongest spell. Right now, it is…"

"In my hand now." I wave an envelope right before their eyes and smirk. Wales looks at me in surprise: "HOW? How did you…"

"Just wandered inside your memories a bit, and pulled this one out. Easy enough."

Saito looks at me…uninterested. "Really? Waving around an empty envelope is not convincing at all." A big 'failed' word falls right on my head. I look stupid now.

"Eh…hehe…"

Wales relaxes after that: "Brimir… You made me worried too much."

Saito looks at him: "But if he's serious, he can actually do it." Wales looks at me for confirmation, and I nod.

"Although, the letter is only one of our priorities. The others are to evacuate any citizens being left behind, and the last of your army out of Albion."

Wales looks at me with his sad eyes: "I'm very grateful that you care for us. But we're going to stand our ground. Albion is our home, and…"

"Let you die and then you turn your back against us? Not a chance." That gets their attention. And of course Wales don't understand. "What do you mean? If I die, then I die…"

"Wait a second…" Saito recognizes what I'm implying. "Are you telling me this world actually has a way to resurrect people?" Wardes and Wales look at him in surprise. Louise asks him too: "What? You mean there's one?"

"There's none." They look at me again. "Not resurrection. But, necromancy."

Saito: "Like yours?"

"No. The ones we're too familiar with. Not my lucky shot." Saito realizes what I meant. "Zombies? Are you kidding?" "Not just zombies. Controllable zombies."

All of the mages look at us questionably. Wales asks first: "May I ask…what's a zombie?"

I look at him: "Do you know what a vampire is?" He nods. "Ghoul?" He nods again. "That's basically a zombie. Except normal zombies won't have any intelligent left, and their focus is eat, eat and eat."

The temperature in the room drops down a notch. Louise is shaking in fear, as Wardes hugs her to comfort her just a little bit. Wales doesn't look fazed, but I know he's scared on the inside. He asks me: "Then…what do you suggest me to do?"

"Like I said before, focus on finding your way out of Albion. We will help you with that."

Wales has doubt on his face. "I'm sorry, but I don't think four of you…"

"Your army is ready, Kuro?" Saito asks me. "Always. I just have to give a signal for them to reveal themselves."

Wales stands up and bows to me: "I'm very appreciated of your help. It will save a lot of lives of my citizens."

I stand up and bow to him as well. "It's my duty after all. Even when things go even worse."

He looks at me and says: "Thanks." I nod, and both of us sit down again.

He suddenly remembers something: "Kuro, may I ask what you are? Are you a zombie too? Then why can you talk so normally?"

"Well, it's a complicated story. But, to sum it up, I did die, however I managed to cheat Death by a completely lucky spell."

Louise looks at me: "A lucky spell? I thought you're a God? And you're immortal?" Wardes and Wales look at her in surprise, again, then look back at me.

"I have the power of a God, not 'I'm a God' to be exact. However, calling me a God is not wrong either since you can't kill me anymore. By the way, I applied a 'ghost possession' spell on myself while I was still alive, and when I died, the spell activated, so now I'm here. Are there anymore questions?"

Wardes asks: "What kind of God are you?"

"Well…We earn the title because we're more powerful than the normal human, that's all. Otherwise, we're just leaders, like kings or queens of yours." Wardes nods in understand.

Wales suddenly asks me: "Can you all join with me in the party in Newcastle? I would be very appreciated to announce to everyone about your plan."

"I was thinking to ask you about it. Okay. Wardes, Louise, you want to join?" They nod. "Saito?" "Of course. It's not everyday you can join a royal party." I turn to Wales. "That's your answer, Prince." "Thank you."

About three hours later, we see the castle from afar. Even though we can see there's a place for ship to touch down near the castle, the ship flies down to the coast. Something caught in my glimpse, and I turn to see a ship that's way bigger than The Eagle, and its cannons are pointing directly to the castle and occasionally shoots at it.

I look at Wales. "The Royal Sovereign?" He nods. "Although, it's now Lexington by the rebels. It's a shame to lose a valuable ship like that." "Do you want to take it back?" "If you can, then it's good. But I suggest not now, they can point their cannons to us and makes us free fall on the sky." I nod. Even if it's me, I won't take a risk like that. Doesn't mean **the others can't.** 'Infiltrate the ship. Take back the ship and wait for my command to drive the ship back.' **'We will comply.'**

Assuming they have given the Prince the newest letter from Princess Henrietta.

* * *

Let's make a bit of skip. Right now we're entering the room where the party occurs. Inside, we see multiple Nobles walking around, talking with each others or enjoy the feats around them. I see the king of Albion, James I, sitting on his throne and watching everyone through his narrowed eyes. Wales starts walking up to him, the king tries to stand up, but then staggered and almost falls down, luckily he holds his hand on the throne.

"Your Majesty! It's too early to fall!"

"If you want to do so, please keep it to tomorrow."

The king smiles. "Don't worry. My legs were just asleep for sitting too long." Wales comes to support the king on the right, with me on his left. The king recognizes the prince but not me. "Thanks, you two." We nod. The king then looks at the Loyalists, and starts speaking: "You. I will tell all of you brave and loyal vassals, that tomorrow 'Reconquista' is planning to attack our Newcastle with their full force. You followed and fought bravely for this incapable old king, however tomorrow won't be a battle. It is likely to be a one-sided slaughter. Let's endure it and show our bravery for one last time." He coughs, then continues. "But it might be asking too much for all you to die. Thus tomorrow morning the warship Eagle will take all women and children and the ones who chose to leave to a safer place further from this forsaken continent."

One Noble loudly informs the king: "Your Majesty! We are waiting for the order! Whole Army Forward! Whole Army Forward! Whole Army Forward! Since our hearing is so bad tonight I doubt we will be able to hear any other orders!" Everyone starts nodding and cheering to the man's speech. Respectable. They're loyal to the king to the end. I understand they all want to go down in honor, but…

"Your Majesty…" The king looks to me and asks: "May I ask, who are you? I don't see you around during these days, and your clothes are quite…unfamiliar to any places I have gone to."

"I'm with Prince Wales here." The king looks to Wales, who nods back to him, the he turns back to me. "I'm here to ask you to get all of citizens, along with your armies out of this city."

The king looks at me in suspicion: "You want us to run away without a fight?"

"Run to live to fight another day. Are you going to just let the Reconquista invade your home like that?"

The king is silent. Then, he says: "I know that. But, even if we want to run, how do you expect us to evacuate the citizens in the middle of warzone without support?"

"I have brought enough support for it. Don't worry. You will be safe, along with your Loyalists and the innocent people."

The king says nothing after that. One Noble has overheard our conversation, as he walks to us and looks at me: "What're you doing? You want us to run away?"

"May I ask you this, do you want your city to be captured like that?" "Of course not, but what can we do? We're only three hundred, and they're ten thousand at least, along with Lexington and even more battleships. If we do not stand our ground, people will die."

I smirk, then looks to Wales. "Wales, where's the Eagle?" "Currently hidden. Why?" "Well…" I turn to the previous Noble. "Good news for you all. The Royal Sovereign is back for us."

All of the Nobles hear my exclamation, as the King looks at me in surprise. "You mean the Lexington?"

"Well, you should call it The Royal Sovereign, like it originally was." 'Drive it back to the castle. Shoot down any battleships that's stupid enough to attack it.' **'They shall fall.'** "King, let's go outside and enjoy the moment the ship return to your side, shall we?"

The King looks at me in disbelieve. Prince Wales looks at me: "When did you…"

"Right after I asked you about the ship. Now, help me support the king." He complies, and we start walking to the outside, with everyone following behind. We walk to the top of the wall gate to see their precious ship descending down, aiming the side to us. I raise my hand up, and a gangplank is brought out. "Those who can ride the ship, can you take care of the ship please?" Some of them comply and start walking on the ship and riding the ship again. After a while, the flag of Reconquista is detached out of the masthead, replaced by the Albion flag, I assume. Everyone is cheering that the ship has returned to them. The King and Prince Wales look at me in surprise, as I smile to them. "I told you, didn't I? Now, let's return back to the party for celebrating, right?"

* * *

I'm not a fan of party describing, so I will skip it to nighttime. Right now, I and Saito are standing on the gate wall, watching the two moons shining brightly on the sky. The Nobles have created a new plan to escape now. I just have to make sure everyone evacuated without any interruption.

"Hey, Kuro?" Saito finally asks. "Louise and Wardes are going to married tomorrow morning." That guy still executes his plan? "Are you going to join them?" "No. Can you protect Louise?" "Of course. That's my job. But what about Wales?" "Don't worry, I have a person to protect him." Saito nods, then turns back. "I will return to my room. You can return anytime you want." "Roger. Goodnight." When he's fully out of my sight…

'What's the status?'

'It seems Wardes is not redeemable. It feels like he's another Mengsk again.'

'We'll stick as the plan. Tomorrow, please protect Wales. Reveal yourself if it's necessary.'

'Are you sure?'

'The world will know about me eventually. Besides, they don't have a counter-measure to us. No one has.'

'People will be scared.'

'Like they won't when they know about my identity.'

'But then, are you going to let Wardes live or die?'

'…It's your choice. If you think he still can be fixed, then spare him. If not…'

'…I would prefer the first option. You too, right?'

'Of course, but it won't go the same to Joseph and Cromwell.'

'I won't expect you to spare those two. En taro Artanis.'

'En taro Artanis.' I'm triggering a lot of Starcraft fans with this one. I'm sure of that. Sorry if I use the infamous Protoss words in the wrong way.

* * *

The next day morning, in a chapel, Saito's POV A warning, I know nothing of a wedding. If something is wrong, forgive me.

Wales is standing at the altar, waiting for the groom and the bride to arrive. I'm waiting at one of the corners behind the altar, looking to the door to wait for Louise to walk through it. I'm a little anxious about this…

"What's your matter? Worried that your girl is taken from you?" Derf whispers to me, a little excitement about this. He didn't know, since most of the time he most likely sleeps.

"It's not the problem. I did like her, but I only see her as a friend. No, it's about Wardes and what Kuro has said before about zombies."

Derf immediately drops his humor: "You think Wardes is dangerous?"

"Not just me. Kuro knew about it. However, he knew that there's a good version of him, so he cannot simply jump in and accused Wardes for being a bad guy. He needs more solid proof. If there's no good Wardes, then he could easily eliminate him in anyway he wants."

"What's your next move now?"

"For now, I will focus on protecting Louise if things go south. Kuro said a person is protecting Wales now, but…" I look back to Wales, who is still looking at the door, and I look back to it. "I really hope Kuro makes a good plan of it." Then the door open, revealing Wardes and Louise. Wardes, aside from his usual clothes, wears a magical mantle. Louise has changed her clothes to a bridal dress with a white mantle and a bridal veil. She looks beautiful, and…

"Partner, I feel magic around her head." I instantly push myself into a darker part and start asking him instantly: "Magic? Around her head?"

"Not her own. Someone is putting magic on her. I'm trying to find where it's from."

"Do it, Derf. Do you know what kind of magic it is?"

"I feel like…it's a mind distortion spell."

"Wardes…" I grid my teeth in anger. So, he's a threat. But now, Louise's the first priority. I need to see how he controls her mind, then I have to break her out of it. Now, they're walking towards the altar, and Wales starts the ceremony.

"Bridegroom, Viscount Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes. Do you take this girl as your wife, and swear to respect and love her in the name of the Founder Brimir?"

"I swear." Louise is not swaying one bit. Is the spell that strong? Also, the veil prevents me from looking at her eyes, but from what I guess, they're dazed now.

"Bride, the third daughter of the Duke of La Valliere, Louise Francoise le Blanc de La Valliere. Do you take this man as your husband, and swear to respect and love him in the name of the Founder Brimir?"

"I do." Okay, that's definitely not Louise. Her voice sounds too shallow for her personality. Like…there's no emotion in that voice. Wardes, you're so in trouble.

Wales smiles, not noticing how Louise looks like right now. "Right. Bridegroom, please give the ring to the bride." "Of course." Wardes brings out a wedding ring from one of his pockets and he's about to put it on Louise's ring finger, when I notice his right hand has a green ring that didn't exist before. And…it's shining, very subtly.

"It's the source, Saito."

"I know." I pull out a very thin needle I received from Kuro last night.

'If things go bad, use this. It's a needle filled with **nanomachines**. The nanomachines will only destroy the object it touches first, as long as it has a shape. So, even if you throw into a guy's hand through his gauntlet, it will only destroy the gauntlet, but it still hurts the guy's hand if you throw it hard enough. Also, you can aim it with your mind, meaning, pick your target, throw it and the needle will do the rest.'

I aim it with my eyes, and then throws the needle. Wardes cries out in pain as the needle meets its target, the ring slowly decomposes and then vanishes without a trace. Wales looks at me in surprise, as I shout: "Wake up Louise! You're under Wardes' control!" She shakes her head a few times, then turns to Wardes, who's holding his finger, and then she lifts her veil up, her eyes filled with anger and disgust.

"You traitorous bastard! Explosion!" Wardes has no time to react as Louise just thrusts her hand towards him and does the spell, knocking him right to the wall behind him. I run right between Louise, Wales and Wardes, Derf ready on my right hand, as I take a stance to protect both of them.

"Louise! Thank God you returned to us! What happened?"

"Wardes is the Reconquista's spy. When Tabitha failed her mission, he was tasked to bring me to Joseph. When I tried to fight him, he pointed a ring towards me and then…nothing."

"So that's right. Derf found out there was some strange magic around your head that's distorting your mind. Thanks for the warning pal."

Derf says proudly: "Of course. Anything for you partner."

Wardes slowly stands up, looks at us with his pained eyes: "You found out the spell…"

Wales says to him: "I cannot believe a Griffin Knight like you would turn your back to Your Highness. What's your motivation for all of this?"

The bastard smirks: "Well, I only fight, for what I believe what's right. Reconquista offered me the chance, and I took it. Right now, three goals, and I have lost one. Now, to the others…"

"Three goals?" He answers: "The first one is to get Louise, but that failed. The second is…" He pulls out an envelope. Louise checks her pocket, but realizes she's not wearing her normal clothes. "That's right. Henrietta's letter. With this, Germania and Tristain alliance will not success. And third…" Then, I feel someone is jumping down from the above, and I look up, to see another Wardes pointing his sword down to Wales. "Is the Prince's LIFE!" "NO!"

*CLANG!*

Before the second Wardes' sword hits Wales, some kind of green sphere appears around the Prince and blocks the attack. Before this Wardes manages to snap out of his surprise, a puff of smoke appears, a figure appears right behind this clone and slices this one in half with his green blade of some kind. We would have felt bad, if the clone just sparkles and turns to emptiness. The figure before lands to the ground, his position tells us that he's kneeling with his hand assists him. His face is facing the ground so we can't really see his face. However, we can see he's not human: His hand only has 4 massive fingers, his hair is…not actually hair, it doesn't look like hair at all. His clothes look weird too: it looks like it's just a purple cloak, with yellow shoulder pads with green crystals in the middle. In his right arm, it's a gauntlet with similar design, and the green blade comes out of it, and…it's an energy blade. When he looks to us, we all confirm he's indeed not a human: his lower face is covered by a purple veil, but his eyes are emerald looking right to us, and his skin is purple. Even if we can't see through the veil, I know he doesn't have a mouth and a nose. Why do I know that, you may ask? Well, he's a fictional character from one of the famous games on Earth. And…he's a hero, for sure.

He talks to us now. "It seems Kuro is right. Are you three alright?"

Wales is surprised when he sees him, but he repositions himself: "I'm alive. Thanks for your help."

He nods, stands up for us to see his 3-meter-tall body, then turns to look at Wardes, who's having a surprised look on his face. "You betrayed your own country, you betrayed a woman's heart, and now you wanted to ruin this world by killing one of the leaders just to gain your personal goals? You disgust me."

Wardes looks at the creaturein surprise and fear. "What…what the hell are you?"

"I'm known as **Zeratul** , the Nerazim of the Protoss. I was asked by Kuro to protect Wales and his friends. Now…" He points his psi-blade to Wardes. "Tell me, what's your motivation in all of this? From your actions, I don't think you actually have a same goal with the Reconquista. You're using the organization to finish your own goal…You even asked the infamous Fouquet, just to steal a weapon that's unusable to anyone except its owner or with her permission. What's your point in this?"

Wardes narrows his eyes: "You know, Kuro knows that I have dark motive, I can be sure about that. Why don't you just finish me off now?"

"Because he feels that you still have a good side in you." I walk next to Zeratul and look at Wardes in the eyes. "IF you still have anything left of your good humanity, then…" I pause a bit. "Then, help us reunite this world. Reunite Halkeginia, including the elves Brimir tried to kill before."

Wardes faces the ground, then, he laughs. First, it's just a short one, but then the volume gets louder as he faces us. "Reunite this world? You are all delusional! The elves will never agree to a peace treat with the human! And what can you give me for my cooperation? Nothing!"

"Wardes…" Louise and Wales walk next to us, as Louise asks Wardes. "You don't really love me, I don't care anymore. But, why betrayed my parent's and the Queen's trust to you? Why don't you ask for our help, why did you…"

"You don't know anything, Louise." We decide to keep silence, but we pull out our weapons in case he did something that resembles a threat. "You don't know what I have been through in my past. My mother was a researcher, but her own researches has driven her to madness, and then she was confined by my entire family, including me. Then one day, by my own hand, I killed her. Of course, I blamed myself for it, but everyone just shrugged it off, and just simply said 'That's an accident.'. For 8 years I hated her so badly, and yet my mind was still haunted by that event, and I still felt I have missed something. Then, when I was 20, I found out my mother's diary. And guess what? It showed the whole reason why my mother lost her mind. I have believed that she was just a weak woman, but after that, I would never forgive myself for what I have done to her. Now, why am I joining Reconquista? I just wanted to hitch a ride from them to the Holy Land, the place where the elves are living now."

"The Holy Land? Your mother's researches were about them?" Wales asks him in surprise. "Yes. Though, not directly about them. About the events thousands years ago."

"Then, why won't you join us? Kuro is planning to go there too, and you can…"

Wardes smiles, this time sadly. "He's a few years late. I'm not going to back down now." He stands up straight now. "I'm afraid I have stayed here for too long." Suddenly his Griffin spears itself through the glass window up high, and Wardes jumps on it, with possibly some magic applying through our conversation. He turns to us one last time. "We will meet in the future. Next time, we're allies and enemies, that depends on how your Kuro finishes this war. And Louise…" He looks at the person, and he keeps his smile up. "Despite the fact I came to you because of your power, I have to admit, you did capture a small part of my heart. Just a small part. Goodbye, little Louise." The Griffin screeches, making us human to cover our ears, then it flies off with Wardes riding it.

When we lose him out of our vision completely, I ask Zeratul. "What can we do for him?"

Zeratul shakes his head. "For now, let him go. Besides, Kuro will attempt to ask Wardes to join us again. For now, we should regroup with Kuro. He's waiting for us to come." We comply and start running out of the chapel, with Zeratul turns invisible again.

When we reach the Royal Sovereign, we only see the Loyalists here, but there's no sign of Kuro. I ask the nearby noble: "Do you see a teenager in a white coat?" Before he could answer, another one does. "He's still standing on the top of the gate wall, that's the last time we saw him." I nod. I don't really worry for Kuro, he can take care of himself. As we walk on the ship, I see a golden ship that's roughly the size of our ship, except wider, floating high above the sky. Based on its structure, I can say it's an **Arbiter** , one of the support units for the Protoss. And now I notice, it seems all warships of the Rebels are aiming at it, and nothing else. And the soldiers on the ground don't bat an eye to us, even when our ship's landing right on the ground. I ask another Noble: "May I ask, why aren't we attacked yet?" "I don't know either. We saw the gold ship on the sky, floating like that for a while and did nothing. Then all soldiers from the Rebels who tried to come near us were decapitated or being sliced in half. The remains backed off instantly, and now the warships are just focusing on trying to destroy the ship, but they haven't gone so far." I nod again. The Arbiter itself has its own shield, and I'm pretty sure this era's cannons won't do much to the ship. And there're definitely Dark Templars and/or Zealot-type units on the ground. Ranged units, not really sure, but Dark Templars are there.

We walk to the old King, and the Prince asks him: "Is everyone on the ship?" He nods. "All citizens are on the Eagle, and all of the remain of the Nobles are on this ship. But I haven't seen the teenager in white coat on this ship. Do you know where he is?" The Prince shakes his head. I answer him: "Don't worry, your Highness. Kuro has his own way to get out. Right now, our focuses are to fly this ship and the Eagle out of here." The King nods, as Wales supports the King to go to his room.

Louise looks at me. "Do you know what Kuro is going to do?"

"I'm…not sure. But I know this: if that ship…" I point to the Arbiter. "Is still intact, then we're permanently invisible to the enemies' eyes. And if I'm not wrong, there're battleships guarding the Royal Sovereign, as well as the Eagle. Basically, we're having a safe road out of here."

Louise nods to me. Then she asks: "Do you know anything about this…Zeratul?"

"He's a hero. That much I can tell." Louise pouts. "Can you tell more?" "Sorry, but him being mysterious is what makes him special. For now…"

"Everyone on your position! We're taking off the ground!" As soon as the captain of this ship, I assume, finishes his command, the ship starts floating up and directs to La Rochelle. A while later, the Eagle appears from afar, starts flying parallel to us and decreasing the space between the ships. The Arbiter also moves with the same speed as ours. Then, an enormous white dragon with three heads flies out of the cloud a bit far from us and starts firing energy blasts, not fire, to any ships that we think they belongs to the Rebels. Those battleships try to fight constantly to the dragon, however, it doesn't have any signs of being hurt, as it continues its rampage. The Nobles on this ship look at the scene with awe and a bit nervousness about how vicious the dragon is. About a half of hours later, we're completely out of the warzone, and the dragon have blown out at least twenty ships off the sky. The dragon now just follows us back to our destination. And it's going to take a day… Kuro, you bought it to yourself.

'Yeah. A dumb move. But at least I have decreased Reconquista's force.'

'How are you going to fly with us for a whole day?'

'You forgot that I have worked for 7 years without a rest before?'

'Oh right, that.'

* * *

In the next morning, the people are extremely surprised when they see the Eagle and the Royal Sovereign land at their city's port. And they're even more surprised when they see the King and the Prince of Albion, along with other Nobles and Albion citizens come out of the ship. They immediately prepare a massive party to celebrate the people escaped successfully out of the invaded country. It takes the whole day, and we couldn't really avoid it since the King announced our help to them. And Wales insisted us to stay back for a day. About Kuro, he basically became the children's playground, as they climbed and played on him however they wanted, and he just 'slept'. Quotation, since I know him too well.

* * *

Flashback

King James speaks to everyone: "We are here today, it's because of these young people have brought us supporter! Without them, we would have been six feet under and we would have let our country under the Rebel's control forever. Today, let us celebrate our survival through the war!" Everyone brings up their glasses and shouts in agreement. I and Louise also bring ours up, then one Noble asks us: "May I ask where the boy in white is? He's not in the Eagle or the Royal Sovereign." I look at them. They are expecting answer from me. The King also asks me: "You said that he had a way to escape. Then why isn't he here now?"

I scratch my head, and nervously answer: "Well, Kuro is not one to attend a big party like this. So, we will try to answer your questions to him as best as I can. For where he is now, he told me he's going to play with the kids in the town, so he won't be here."

Wales looks at me curiously: "Even if he likes to play with the kids, shouldn't he spare a bit of time with us?"

I am still nervous as I try to smile: "About that…he makes an excuse that he's too big to attend this one, so…"

One Noble asks the question everyone is having in their heads: "Too big? What do you mean by that?"

"May I ask if you notice something from the Dragon?" Everyone looks at each other when I ask that question, whispers to each other about their theories.

Another Noble answers: "I see it as a very strong, but also dangerous creature. However, it seems to have intelligence as well. And it fired energy from its mouths, not like the others."

I nod. "You have good observation. Now, obviously you remembered my friend wore a white coat when you first met him in the party in Newcastle, right?" Everyone nods. "Then, **what is the color of this dragon?** "

A Noble says without thinking: "It's white, why?" Then, the truth sinks in…

"WHAT?" Everyone exclaims in absolute surprise. The King also asks me back in surprise: "You're telling us, that dragon is actually your friend?" Wales looks at us in shock too.

Louise answers this time: "Yes. The dragon is our friend, Kuro. He likes to pull out stunts like that. Us friend won't even know what he's going to next."

Wales asks: "Then, the gold ship that flew above us the whole time…"

I answer: "It's a support ship. It has a powerful device to cloak any allies in an area. That's why the Rebel ground soldiers were killed, it's because of Kuro's army."

Everyone is talking loudly to each other, obviously surprised by the reveal. Then, the King asks: "Then, what is he? I don't think he is human if he can do anything like that."

I laugh a bit. "Your Highness, Kuro WAS human, like me and you. However, after some…problems in his past, he has become something else. Wales, can you tell us who he is now?" Wales looks at me in surprise, but then stands up and speaks out the truth. "Kuro has told me what he is now. He is…"

After that, you could say that I was being bombarded by hundreds of questions from the Nobles. I tried to answer most of them, with the help of Louise and Wales, but it's not enough. Eventually, someone has run to Kuro and asked him to participate directly, and he complied. Another wrong decision from him.

* * *

Nighttime

"You want me to return with you?" Wales asks me. We're now in a guest room, with me, Louise and Kuro. Wales was asked by Kuro to come here to discuss something.

Kuro: "Yes. Princess Henrietta will surely be happy when she sees you alive and well."

Wales: "I'm appreciated of your concern. But what about my citizens?"

Kuro: "I asked the King already. He agreed. Besides, it will take only a few days, so it's not a big deal."

Wales: "I…*sigh* I don't have a choice, do I?"

Kuro smiles childishly: "Nope."

Louise asks him: "I want to ask about Wardes. You knew already he's going to betray us?"

Kuro answers: "It's fifty-fifty. But now, we know that Wardes can actually be able to be recruited to us. I will try to reason with him the next time we meet him."

"But…he now knows that you're a God. Won't him tell Joseph?"

Kuro: "Let him. Like he could do anything to me."

"I suppose so. Even the Goddesses' weakness can power you up as well. I guess we don't have to worry about that, for now."

Wales suddenly remembers: "Wait a second! The letter!" Louise and I shout "Oh no!" in unison, as she checks all of her pockets. The result?

"No…No…the letter…" Apparently the letter is truly stolen.

Wales: *Sigh* "It's no longer the matter. We lost it now. Germania won't help us…"

Kuro suddenly asks Wales: "Why do you think the letter is lost?" He pulls out the empty envelope again.

"Seriously, Kuro. That won't lighten the mood."

Kuro smirks: "Oh it will. Wales, check the content inside." Wales takes the envelope and puts his hand inside. Then, his face is filled with surprise as he pulls out a letter. He reads it, and his eyes widen as large as possible. "It's the Princess' letter!" "What?" Both I and Louise sit next to him and look at the letter. This hand-writing belongs to a woman, and the person who signed it was Henrietta herself.

Wales then looks at Kuro: "Then what did Wardes take with him?"

Kuro smiles, and says in a sing-song voice: "An empty envelope!"

Us three look at him. I pull out my hand, and make a gesture of choking him. "You…how can I be a friend with you?" He then turns to Shanghai and sways in the air: "Hihi…You like me, that's why!"

Wales looks at me as I drop my attitude, and looks back to Kuro, then sighs. "I…don't really know what to say anymore…" Louise says in sympathy: "We know that feeling, Prince Wales. We know that feeling."

Wales then asks Kuro again: "Then, about my citizens…"

Kuro says in Shanghai's voice: "We can ask the Queen to give support to your citizens while they're here. The port will be the nearest place to be a headquarter and build the army to take back Albion."

Wales smiles at his response, as he stands up and bows to him. "Even though it's not enough, please accept my thank for saving the people of Albion. We're in your debt."

Kuro bows as well: "Like I said, it's my duty. You don't have to worry about it too much. Just live well and fight well, that's my request to you all."

Wales smiles. "That's something we can manage." Then he walks to the door. "I think it's time for all of us to rest. Goodnight everyone." And he walks out of the room.

The next morning, Kuro turned into the dragon again, this time with only one head, and flew us back to the Academy. It's a quite flight, during that time we talked to each other occasionally. When we reached the Academy, Kuro let us go out of his back first before changed back to his normal self. The gate guards here recognized us, as they opened the gate, and the moment the gate was opened…

"WALES!" Henrietta instantly runs out and hugs Wales with all her might, with Wales being surprised a bit then hug her back.

"I'm here. I'm with you now." We can clearly hear Henrietta sobbing because of her happiness. I, Kuro and Louise let them have their moments, as we look to see Lyrica and Cave are not far from us.

Cave is the first one to speak: "Looks like you all success. Not really a surprise." Kuro smirks: "You know me."

Lyrica speaks: "The others have returned as well. Let's meet them." Kuro nods. "We will. But first, let's wait for the couple to finish first."

When we walk back to the usual spot, I see the whole party is there, along with five other people. The first one is a woman with long blue hair that looks strikingly similar to Tabitha, she wears a blue dress with a red coat outside. There're also two elves sitting with them, and they're both females. The last two…

"Wait a second, aren't they…" I look to Kuro, to see that both of his eyes are filled with tears, as he smiles and looks to the sky.

"So THIS is why you said this world is crucial to me, The Creator. And I have to say…Thank you so much."

* * *

 **Chapter 5 end!**

 **Cave is revived! HOORAY! Another one returns back to Kuro!**

 **Yes, my first idea is to use Alarak's army to basically clean the Reconquista instantly. However, I thought again, and saw that it's actually a bad idea. It might alert Joseph that there's another powerful army out there that could easily crumble his rule in pieces. BUT THEN Wardes knows that Kuro has an army under his sleeve now, so...it didn't change much.**

 **The fight between Saito and Wardes. If you have seen the original, the fight lasts only around 1 minute, since Saito doesn't really have enough experience, and Wardes is a Griffin Knight. But, in this story, Saito is mentally over 100 years old, combining with about 20 years being a Hunter in Gamindustri, the victory belongs to him, albeit with a bit difficulty. Also in the last moment, Saito pulled out Sub-Zero's move (from Mortal Kombat X).**

 **About the needle. It was just a random thought. And I decided to use Metal Gear Solid's joke about the nanomachines being the explanation of everything. When I wrote to that part, I was thinking about it so... XD**

 **If you guys are saying Alarak or Zeratul is OOC, then please remember this: Unless I said they're the real deal, then all of the characters from the others games/animes are all CREATED by Kuro. They have two minds: One being the original, the other is to remember that they're NOT the original. That's why sometimes they act like the originals, sometimes they do not.**

 **I did remember the Arbiter is only for Talandar in Co-op mode, however, the fact it can cloak nearby allies, I think it suits the Nerazim more.**

 **Not only Wales survived, but also the people from Albion. Don't be surprised.**

 **Well, that's it for now. I will see you all in the next chapters!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and my stories. The others belong to their respective owners.**

 **This is chapter 6. It's not very good like the last chapter, but I hope it can still satisfy you guys.**

 **To Jakomadara: Like I said before, unless I say that they're the real deal, then all of the other characters are created by Kuro. So, the Protoss here is also his, not the original. In Starcraft 2, both Zeratul and Selendis say 'En taro Artanis' right in front of him, so I don't think the name has to be the dead ones. And Alarak is a troll? I don't think he's much of a troll person, but...I think the way he talks is. I will fix it in the future. But like I said, since they're not the originals, they can be OOC periodly.**

 **To RedBurningDragon: You're half right. Yes, IF and Compa return, however, they're NOT ELVES. You might want to re-read the last part of the last chapter to understand what I mean.**

 **With nothing else, enjoy this chapter everyone!**

* * *

After Kuro teleported away, T.O's POV

We say goodbye to the ones staying in the Academy and start heading towards Gallia. The party, which consists of me, Tabitha, Kirche and her familiar, and Malthida, is riding a horse carriage by ourselves to the destination. Our first target is the Lagdorian Lake. Death told me that a part of the Water Spirit there can cure any types of poison in this world. We will take a chance from that first, however, I don't really think it matters much. Once I **reactive the Gamindustri systems in Tabitha's mother,** she would be cured instantly, since from what I know, she's completely **immune to any bad status inflicts, considering which role she is in a party.** Also, I'm subtly cutting down the road. Meaning, normally we would take two days to reach the place, but now we need only less than a day. Of course, they won't notice it, yet, but Malthida will be the first one to find out.

During the first part of the travel, Tabitha asks Longueville about who Linda or Malthida is. And of course when the truth comes out…

"So you're the famous Fouquet, but also Kuro's citizen as well?" Tabitha has a hint of surprise in her eyes, but it's mostly just her normal blank stare.

"Surprised?"

"Not really. Kuro is an unpredictable person, and he even told me he would help everyone, as long as they're redeemable, so…"

"That's Kuro for you." Malthida giggles. "Anyway, may I ask you something? It's a bit personal."

"What is it?"

"Who do you consider Kuro as?" Tabitha instantly blushes, as Kirche brings up her mischievous smile. "I want to know as well. Kuro told us he likes you already right? What are you going to response to him in the future?" I smile when I see that Tabitha is embarrassed by the questions. Aren't they cute when they're embarrassed?

Then Kirche suddenly turns to me: "Hey. You're basically the same with Kuro, right? Do you have the same feeling to Tabitha like him?" I laugh a bit. "You are right about me being the same with Kuro. However, our mindsets are different if you count about when we're born. Kuro had the same start like him, however I was created when Kuro started his adventure. Even when I have the same memories with both of them, I have a different personality as well. Right now, I only see you all as friends, nothing more, nothing less." Tabitha seems satisfied with my answer, no more embarrassed moments for her.

Malthida suddenly asks me: "By the way, have you found out who Tabitha's mother was? And is there anyone else, aside from her and Siesta's mother, that came from Gamindustri?" Malthida actually knew about that when she heard Siesta played the Paradise Song in the past.

"The Creator actually kept that secret from me. I don't really know who she was. From my guess, and the guess of the 'review', she was Mina. But, I don't think it's that easy. And about your second questions, there're definitely more people in here, alive or reincarnated." Malthida understands what I'm saying.

"Uh, review? What do you mean T.O?" Kirche looks at me curiously.

"Nothing serious. Just something between us." Kirche takes it, but obviously she knows I'm hiding it from her.

Tabitha: "Do you know what you're going to do to the Elf?"

"Eh…Not really. I mean, he associates with Joseph, but he doesn't take orders from him. And I don't think he's a bad guy either. Think about it, if he's truly a bad guy, then he would have taken your mother's life already, not just 'look after' her throughout these years."

Tabitha nods. "I…guess so. It's just that, he's an Elf, and from what we have known so far, they're bad."

"Malthida has a proof to reject that truth." Malthida speaks: "You remember about me talking about my sister, right? She's actually half-elf. However, I can say she and Rom are in the same term of being easily scared and too pacific and quite for themselves. She is currently living inside a forest, so nobody really knows where she is, except me and the people who are helping her. Sometimes, when she plays with the kids, I would imagine Rom in the middle of it."

Kirche ponders: "Then, the elves are not all bad, right?"

"Well, not exactly, but…"

He got nuke.

'Excuse me, what?'

Joseph got NUKES. Mini-nukes, but still nukes.

'Who made it for him?'

Not the same nuke we know. But the elf, Bidashal, managed to create something called the Firestones. Its power can be compared to mini-nukes if you apply to the right place.

'Damn. If he uses it in the mansion…'

I don't think he would do so. He's a researcher, not a killer. But he still made it for Joseph, that's the problem.

Kirche waves her hand before my face. "Uh, hello? Is anyone home?" "What is it?" "You just suddenly became silent for a while. What happened?" I turn to Malthida, who's still focusing on riding the carriage. "Malthida, how long had you in contact with Reconquista?" "No, not really. They did ask me about it, I did accept, but I would just cast it aside. Why?" "Joseph has mini-nukes." Kirche and Tabitha don't really know what a nuke is. "WHAT?" But Malthida does as she turns back to me. "This world has the technology to do that?" "No. It's just some magic-infused Firestones, but the damage is nearly the same."

Malthida, irritated by the news, starts making the horses run a bit faster. Of course, it's only for a few moments. "Who made it for him?" "The same elf we're going to face." She looks at me again. "Don't tell me he's a psychopath killer or something in the same line?" "He is a researcher." "That's even worse."

Kirche interrupts our conversation: "What're you talking about? What does a fire stone can do to us? I mean, you're a Deity, right?"

"Not just normal fire stones. The Firestones we're talking here are capable to wipe out a city out of the map." Both of them widen their eyes in surprise. "And I'm not joking. We have similar thing in our world, except it's more dangerous in our world than here. If I'm correct, it can only deal instant damage and it ends right at that moment. In our world, say goodbye to the idea of living in the area in a century." The girls shiver after I say it.

Malthida is a bit upset about the Reconquista, but then calms down. "T.O, what should we do now?"

"Just stick to our original plan. We don't have to think so far, yet. We will make a new plan when we regroup with Kuro." She nods and starts focusing fact on riding the carriage.

The next few hours were not very eventfully, and in the night, when everyone was asleep, I enhanced the spell even more to reach the lake in time. So, when they wake up, we're already near the lake. And I instantly received a glare from Malthida when she found out what I did, without me saying anything.

We're standing before the lake, after getting out of the carriage after a whole day in it. One problem: The lake is not supposed to be this low. I do see the damaged village around, but the water has retracted back to the lake, leaving the scene for us to witness.

"Oh Brimir. What happened here?" Kirche asks in concern.

Tabitha: "It happened a while ago. One day, the water in the lake suddenly rose up, completely flooded the village along with the surrounding areas. It's a surprise when water came back down."

"Hmm…"

Malthida: "You know something, T.O?"

"Maybe… Death, are you there?"

 _ **Yes?**_

"Can you call the Water Spirit?"

 _ **Of course.**_

About a minute later, a transparent figure raises up from the lake's surface. Because of that, we cannot see clearly how she looks like. She looks at me…

"So you're the other Deity Death is currently associating with?" She asks me, and it seems like she knows me. Probably because…

"How often did you visit her after you contacted Kuro, Death?"

"A few time already, why?" We look at our left to see who said that. It's a human girl, just around 13 or so, or at least that's how we think. She has long black hair that waves freely in the air. She has red eyes, but her left one also has the cursed symbol as well. Her skin is pale white like she hasn't seen the sun for too long. She is wearing a torn black cloak and… nothing else. Luckily it covers most of her body, if not… Her right hand is wielding a massive scythe, the scythe of Death. And she's smiling 'innocently' at us.

The fact she's the one who answered my question…

"Death, why?"

"You need to talk to her, right? I think I should be here as well, if the three want to ask me something."

"Not that. Where's your clothes?" That question makes Kirche to open her mouth wide and Tabitha with her eyes in surprise, and Malthida to pinch her nose bridge in annoyance.

"Oh, that? I just don't like wearing them. Kuro did think one for me, but they're not comfortable, not one bit!" Death starts waving her hand around, nearly pulling the cloak up too high, her face is red in childish angry. I facepalm. Please, not another childish immortal!

Nope, she is.

'Damn it.'

"It seems you're the right person." The voice of the Water Spirit snaps us out of our current states, as we turn to her again, and Death just walks to us. "But, what do you want from me? Death only informed me that you will come. Also, where's the person that made contract with Death?"

"Kuro is traveling to Albion now, so you can't meet him, sorry about that. About our arrival, we want to ask for one of your tears. I hope it's not something too troublesome."

The spirit then stares at Tabitha, then looks back at me: "You want to heal Duchess de Orlean?"

I raise my voice a bit in surprise: "You know her?"

"When the girl…" She points her finger to Tabitha. "Was small, the Duchess usually brought her here to play with me. And I have to say, she was very energetic. She really liked to make the water splash everywhere, even to her mother." She smiles, making Tabitha to blush a bit. "She sometimes even told me stories. But one made me raise the eyebrow when I heard it the first time, about the white knight and the Goddesses." That perks our interest. Not about the story since Tabitha has told us during the way here, but about Tabitha's mother telling it to the spirit. "During 6000 years of living, I never heard such story. And I should know. These Goddesses seems to be extremely important to her, but they didn't exist here, that's far as I know. However, when Death told me about this Kuro, I thought that…"

"Then you're right, miss Spirit. The story, even though it's changed, is an abridged version of what happened to Kuro's world, what happened to his…friends."

"I see." The spirit nods. "I will give you the tear, but on one condition…"

"You want us to find the ring of Andvari?" She nods in surprise. Death walks/floats to next to the Spirit and nudges her. "See? They know. And they did plan to find it for you too!" Somehow she manages to hug the Spirit without problem, despite the fact the Spirit has no solid shape. But hey, we can hug ghosts, so we're not ones to say here.

The Spirit is not bothered by it, as she asks me. "That's my request. Can you do it?" "Well, I think Kuro will be the one to do the job. I will tell him when I meet him, is that okay?" "Not my problem. He can take as much time as he wants, you just have to return the ring to me." "Roger." I bring out a small bottle, and she drops a small tear from hers into it. I pocket it into my coat.

Then Kirche suddenly asks the Spirit: "May I ask if you know who Tabitha's mother was?"

The Spirit looks at her in confusion: "Who was she? What do you mean?"

I think she didn't know everything, heh? "Maybe in the future. Right now, we need to make sure she is safe." The Spirit nods. I look at Death. "You want to come with us, or…" "Nah! I will stay here for a while. Can't let my friend here be lonely, you know?" It seems two of them are best friends.

"Very well. We will see you later."

After that, we go back to the carriage and continue our travel to Tabitha's house. After a few hundred meters away from the lake…

Malthida: "Did you know Death is that childish?"

"Not in the slightest. But, it wouldn't be a surprise either. I mean, our Goddesses are childish in their own way, right?"

Malthida: "I suppose so. Even Kuro is the same. And you, sometimes."

"Can't argue with that." I chuckle, and so does Malthida. This new life surely gave her a better chance to live and enjoy.

We have reached the front side of the mansion now. We go down and start walking to the big door. But before we reach half way…

"I'm surprised you would bring someone to your house, Charlotte." Someone speaks from our left side. Tabitha instantly points her staff to that direction, followed by Kirche and Malthida after that. "Friends of yours?"

"Why do you suddenly concern about that? You're here to check if I'm disobeying Joseph or not, right?" Tabitha asks, a hint of angry in her voice.

Bidashal is a bit surprised that Tabitha is not saying in her one-word personality. "When did you begin speaking in normal?"

"Does that concern you?" I ask him as I finally turn to him, as he looks at me. "Why are you here?"

Bidashal probably notices a bit of power I'm releasing, but he shows no evidence of that. "Hmm…A friend of Charlotte, I take it?"

"And what if I am?"

Bidashal shrugs: "I don't really have an objection. Can't really take her out of her own life, can I?"

This guy is a researcher; he works for Joseph but he still has a good heart. Don't kill him.

'Not sure if I should do that. He gave the bastard nuke, right?'

If he knows how to make it, he'll know how to defuse it in time.

'We're talking about a magical nuke here, but okay…I will try…'

"I hope you do not stop us visiting Tabitha's mother. That would be…unfriendly of you."

Bidashal smiles a bit: "Of course. I would not do so…unless you try to kill her."

"What's so important about her to Joseph anyway? And do you really work for Joseph?"

His smile fades a bit. "Where did you get that information?" I point to Tabitha. "I see. As a researcher, I work with everyone, not just him. And about the Duchess, let's just say he wouldn't dare to kill her. It would make his reputation bad."

"Okay, one more question before I try to hurt you." Bidashal raises his eyebrows because of my statement. "What would you do if we try to save the Duchess from the illness she's having now?"

Silence. Then a magic force strikes from his hand to us, causing me to walk before the others and activate a barrier to block it.

"Then I'm afraid I have to stop you. The only reason I'm here is to check if she's still having it. And if she's out of it, my assignment with Joseph will be over."

"Then, bad news for you, she's going to be saved today. Malthida, Tabitha, Kirche…" I turn to them. "Go inside, find the Duchess and save her." I give the bottle to Malthida. "Keep it safe. Once you all get inside, I will create a barrier so that no one can get in or out, and no one can use **this world's magic** until you manage to save her. Understand?" Malthida nods, and they run to the door.

"Oh no, you don't." Bidashal brings his hand up to the girls, however, he has to jump away before he gets impaled by a sword falling from the sky. As he looks at me, I'm radiating more power now, and the girls are getting through the door. Then countless of glyphs appear around the mansion.

He looks at my work. "I'm surprised. You have a lot of power if you can pull out something like this. Are you a half-elf by any chance?"

I raise my right eyebrow. "Why do you think so?"

"My niece knows about a half-elf in Albion. However, we decide to leave her alone, since she's not causing us any trouble. And your power…it's not simply magic."

"You're right, they're not simply magic. But I'm not a half-elf either."

That perks his researcher's interest. "Might I ask who you are?"

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" I summon a mecha floating behind me, prepare to counter anything Bidashal tries to throw to me…

* * *

Inside the mansion, Tabitha's POV

"Miss Charlotte, what a surprise! You return early!" Percerin, my family's butler, who takes care of my mother after that day, whom I respect deeply, greets me when we walk to the main room. "And I see you brought some friends too."

The three of us bow to him as well. Malthida walks to him: "I don't want to be rude, but can you take us to where Charlotte's mother is immediately, please?"

Percerin asks her in confusion: "May I ask what business you have with her? I don't remember any contacts…"

"That's because there's none, Percerin. We're here to save my mother." Malthida pulls out the bottle and brings it to Percerin's eye level. He looks at the bottle in surprise, since he knows what it is based on the color, and he turns to me. "Mistress, this is…"

"This is the cure for my mother. Let's go to her room, I will explain in the way." He nods in surprise, as we start walking to her room.

I have finished the explanation when we stop before the door. Percerin nods in understand, he is smiling in happiness. "I see. I'm glad you have found yourself good friends. Your mother will be very happy after she hears everything from you."

"I'm looking forward it." Mother, you will return back to your old self. Kuro promised me about it, I'm sure he won't let me down. The White Knight has answered my call.

When we open the door, I look around the room. It's still the same, like the last time I entered here. My mother is sitting in her usual place, staring at the forest before her. In her hand is my old doll, Tabitha, the name I used after my mother took that poison. She is so skinny now, and her eyes are hollow…

I was about to walk to her when Kirche stops me. I look at her. "Why did you stop me?"

"I was told by Kuro before. She didn't recognize you, right?" I nod. "Then let us give her the cure. After that, it's all yours." I want to say anything, but…I know Kuro's right. Malthida gives Percerin the cure, he walks up to the table and pours out a teacup, and mixes the tear of the Spirit in it. He gives it to my mother, who just looks at him and takes it without a care, and then drinks it up.

One second…

Two…

Three…

A minute later…

Kirche asks in worried: "Did…did it work? It should be, right?"

Malthida doesn't show in her face, but her voice shows that she's having doubt. "It might take a while. Let us wait if…" My mother suddenly closes her eyes, then multiple blue squares with all sizes appear around her, or specifically, the places where it shows her downfall. Then, after a few seconds, they disappear, leaving my mother…completely healed up like nothing have even happened to her. When she opens her eyes, they show…relaxation, relief, and…happiness. She doesn't look at us immediately, as she turns her head to the ceiling, and her left hand raises up a bit. Then, a water creature starts circling around her arm, and then flies up while getting bigger and bigger, revealing that it's a dragon of some kind. After about a few seconds, the dragon disappears, she turns to me and…

"Charlotte, I'm so sorry for leaving you so long. Could you accept my forgiveness?"

* * *

Malthida's POV

It works. My goodness. I really thought we did everything for nothing. Charlotte, after hearing her mother calling her name, is having streams of tears on her face, as she runs to her and hugs her passionately. Everything is silent, except Charlotte's cries of happiness.

After a while, we walk up to them, including Percerin, but still give them enough space. The woman notices us, she releases the hug to Charlotte and uses her finger to wipe away her tears, then stands up to us.

"Thank you for protecting my daughter. And I'm appreciated of your help to me."

Kirche smiles: "It's nothing madam. Everything for our friend."

She smiles. "Indeed." She looks at Percerin. "I'm sorry for all of troubles I have caused during these years." He bows to her. "It's nothing Mistress. Those cannot compare to what miss Charlotte have suffered."

I look at the Duchess. I heard from Kuro that **someone from The Creator's World has guessed that she's Mina** , but the fact she just summoned a water dragon…

"Miss Duchess…" She turns to me. "May I ask, who were you?" She asks me in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I think I should introduce myself first. In Halkeginia, my name is Malthida de Sachsen-Gotha. But, back then, I was Linda in Gamindustri. Does that name ring any bells?"

She looks at me in surprise. Then, she smiles: "I see…Linda, huh? You have quite a reputation back then. A thief turned good by Kuro, right?"

I nod. "And even here, under the name Fouquet…"

She giggles. "Ah, yes. The infamous Fouquet…Well, I guess I should do the same too. My name is Marietta Elisabeth de Orleans, the Duchess of Gallia. But, in **my previous life** , I'm known as **Aqua, the Healing Dragon of Gamindustri.** "

I nod again. I heard about that name before, she was one of the party members of the **Elite Hunters.** She, among with three others people, were one of the most powerful force in Gamindustri, the only one they could not defeat was Kuro himself. But they held a good reputation towards a lot of people since they protected everyone out of danger, and always put the others' lives before theirs.

Percerin doesn't understand what we just said to each other. "Mistress, what're you talking about?"

Aqua looks at him apologetically. "Oh, I'm sorry. I will tell you later."

Kirche: "Oh, we're having time right? The only matter now is…oh no! We forgot about T.O!" That puts me on edge a bit. We're so happy that we saved Aqua, that we completely forgot that T.O is fighting that elf.

Aqua looks at us in surprise. "T.O? You mean…"

"Yes, The Observer. Kuro is currently in Albion, so T.O is going with us. We have to go and assist him now." We nod as we walk as fast as we can.

But it seems we're worrying for nothing. When we open the door, the only things we see are crashes on the ground. T.O is standing perfectly fine, with a mecha device floating above him. A bit far side is the elf, who's covering in bruisers and cuts. He looks completely exhausted.

"Impossible…What are you? How can you beat me so easily like that? Am I too weak to defeat you?"

"It's not that you are weak. You're very strong for a guy whose main focus is researching. But, I'm just simply too strong for anyone to beat. Don't be sad that you can defeat me."

"But still…" He looks behind T.O and notices us. "It seems you have stalled enough time for them." T.O looks back at us, and then to Aqua. He smiles: "It seems so, Bidashal." He turns back again, the mecha disappears as he walks to Bidashal and gives him a hand. "Get up. Let's go inside and have some drink. You fight well."

The elf looks at him in surprise. "Why? I fought you. I'm the bad guy here." "You looked after Kuro's citizen, even though it's just an order. And even that, you still have a good heart. And guys with good heart are always on our side." He looks at T.O's eyes, then smiles in defeat and grabs his hand.

When they walk to us, Charlotte is about to point the staff out when Aqua stops her with her hand. T.O looks at Percerin, who's looking at them in surprise. "Can you make us some drink, please?"

After that, in the main room…

"Thanks for the tea, Percerin. It's really good."

"Thank you, sir. I'm very proud of it."

Right now, we're sitting at the tea table, including Bidashal. And T.O just complimented Percerin, not me. We take some sips as well, before Aqua asks T.O: "It's good to see you here. May I ask how you're here? I don't think you would come here without Kuro."

T.O nods. "Kuro is summoned by Charlotte to be her familiar." Aqua looks at her daughter, who nods in confirmation. "Seems like your call for the White Knight worked, heh?" He chuckles a bit. Aqua giggles, and Charlotte nods, although she blushes a bit.

Kirche asks Aqua: "May I ask how powerful you are in Gamindustri? And how you earned your title?"

Aqua: "You're heard of Gamindustri?"

Kirche nods. "That's one of the first things Kuro told us about his past."

Bidashal asks T.O: "What is this Gamindustri? An unknown nation?"

T.O: "A different plane of existence." That causes Bidashal to widen his eyes in surprise and excitement.

Aqua: "In Gamindustri, I'm one of the best healers in the world. The only few that can rival me includes Kuro's wife, Compa. My specialty is focusing on healing and buffing allies. The title Healing Dragon is because I can summon a water dragon, like you saw before."

"Do you know if there're anyone else that got reincarnated, or transported to here?"

Aqua looks at me. "You met some?"

"Lyrica and Cave are here now. One of the Tristain's Academy of Magic's servants' mother is one, but we don't know who she was, yet. And another citizen from the new Gamindustri, in the name of Saito Hiraga or Adam."

"New Gamindustri?"

"Aqua…" She looks at T.O. "The world you know was destroyed 8 years ago. Right now, Kuro is leading a better one, the one we managed to undone what's bad in your past."

Aqua looks a bit down. "I…I see. It's a shame. To your first question, Linda, yes, I know three more. The first one is **Wanda** , the second one is **Ifrit,** and the last one is **Terry**. All of us are Elite Hunters from the past as you already know."

"Can you tell us who they are now?"

Aqua giggles. "I don't think so. Only when we meet them, will they tell you. I'm not going to spoiler anything."

T.O keeps his smile up. "I'm glad you're back and well, Aqua. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to Albion now."

I look at T.O in surprise. "Why do you need to go there?"

"To save your sister." "Really? But then why…" "Why did I come with you here?" I nod. He points his finger up. "He gave me the wrong information. Your sister is there, but for some reasons he thought she's here in Gallia. So now, I'm going alone there. Right now, Aqua is back with her power back, including her power in her past life, so you don't have to worry. You could spend a day here, then return back to the Academy. I will rendezvous with you on midway if necessary."

"Okay. First, what about him?" I point to Bidashal. He looks at him, then… "Can I ask you to give up your association with Joseph?"

Bidashal looks at him. "And what benefits can I get?"

"Ending the stupid war between human and human-elf. Is that a good call?"

"You make it sound like an easy task."

"If Joseph messed with Kuro's citizens, then he won't have any chances to live to see another day when he met Kuro."

Bidashal thinks a bit, then… "Well, I don't really like him anyway. Okay, I will accept it." And both of them do a handshake. "Glad you come to our side."

I ask T.O: "Okay, one down. Now, what about Aqua's weapon?"

He looks at me in confusion, then realizes: "Oh, right. You three now can use your hammerspace. I forgot to tell you."

I deadpan a bit, as I try to call out my pipe I once used as a weapon, and it works. "Why don't you tell us sooner? I would have made this travel way easier."

"Sorry. Anyway, is there anything else?"

"Last thing, right." I grab my glasses, which I stop using after Kuro found out who I was, and gives it to T.O. "Give it to Tiffania if she has doubt."

Bidashal looks at me. "Tiffania. Do you mean the half-elf?" I look at him. "You know her?" "We do. But only I and my niece know and no one else. Since she's only living by herself, we decided not to do anything but to watch her from afar."

T.O: "And she's still safe?"

"Likely so."

T.O nods, his left eye starts smoking. "I would better be going now. Take care, all of you." All of us nod as he disappears instantly. Then I look to Aqua. "You should teach her some more about your power, she can pick up some of your spells very quickly."

* * *

A forest in Albion, T.O's POV

…

*Caw* *Caw*

'Creator?' What? 'Where the hell am I?' Right above? 'That's NOT a good description.' Look, it never specifies in the novel where she is, okay? 'Never specifies, or you didn't check carefully enough?' Doesn't matter. Can you try to find her now? At least your location is near her and not somewhere else. 'Will try.'

And after about half an hour, I was completely lost. Completely frustrated, I decided to follow one deer minding its own business. That's 10 minutes ago, now I hear strange noises coming from my right. It can't be made by animals here, that's for sure. Could be Tiffania. I walk to the direction for about a hundred meters, and I see her gathering some fruits and mushrooms. She noticed me when she tried to reach an apple up high, but then stumbled her toe and was about to fall to the ground, if I didn't teleport and catch her before it happened.

"You okay, miss?" The girl is surprised that I already caught her, but then nods and I straighten her up. I look to the apple and use a bit of magic to make it fall and float to her basket. "You should be careful. Accidents can happen anywhere, anytime."

"Thank you, sir." She thanks me. "But, what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for you actually." She instantly backs away. Her face shows a little fear. "What's wrong?"

"Are you…trying to take me away? Because I'm not going anywhere." She's trying to act tough, but I'm sure something caused her to act like that.

"If your sister is the one who asked me to do so, then what?"

She looks a bit surprised. "You know Malthida?" "She is my friend." She then relaxes a bit. "Thank Brimir. I thought you were the bandits…"

I walk a little bit near her. "Something happened?" She nods. "Someone tried to raid my house. Luckily no one else is there, and nothing is too value to lose. But, it makes me feel uneasy, especially for my guests…" Guests? When did she…Don't tell me Saito and Kuro failed their mission already…

"Can I walk you back? It's possible that the bandits could return to your house anytime."

"That would be very generous of you." She nods and we start walking back to her house. During the walk, I ask her: "May I ask who your guests are?"

"They are two women." So not Kuro and Saito. Good. "They're around their 30s." "How did you meet them?" "Like how I met you actually. They suddenly appeared from nowhere as well." Strange. "Where're they now?" "They occasionally go to the nearby town to get some stuffs. They would be back now." "May I ask what their names are?" "They are…Oh, here we are." We have reached her house. She opens the door and looks inside. "They're not back yet. Come in, sir. Let me make some tea." "I'm very appreciated, thanks."

About a few minutes later, we're sitting at the table, sipping our cups of tea. She then asks me. "What's your name sir? I think you know my name, but I will introduce first. I'm Tiffania." "You can call me T.O." She tilts her head. "Tee-O? That's strange." "T.O. Just two letters." "Oh, right then. May I ask if Malthida is okay? Is she hurt?" "She's completely fine. You don't have to worry about it." She smiles. "I'm glad. Sometimes she returned here with bruises, and exhausted. I don't know what happened to her, but she just said not to worry. But…" I grab her hand to calm her down a bit. "She's okay, she's a tough girl. And…no one comes to your house regularly?" "Actually, yes. Sometimes the children from the town come here to play with me. But, the war is starting, and they cannot come here anymore." "Albion is at war. Their parents are worried for their safety." She looks a bit down. "I guess you're right. OH! And why did my sister ask you to see me?" "She wanted me to bring you out of Albion and to her. She's currently working in Tristain's Academy of Magic. She wanted you to come there, so that she could protect you." She smiles up. "She's so thoughtful. But…" She pulls down her hat a bit. "Did she forget that…" "You're a half-elf?" She looks at me surprise. "You know?" "She told me." I chuckle. "The students there met worse creature, so you don't have to worry." "Worse…creature?" I smile. "When we get there, you'll understand."

"Hey, Tiffania! Are you home?"

"Tiffa! We came back!"

"I'm coming!" But before she could even stand up, I instantly teleport to the door and open it. Before me are two women. The first one has long brown hair with a leaf bow on her head. The second one has short pink hair and a C-letter pin. Both of them wear a size bigger version of their old clothes. And… you know who they are.

"IF? COMPA? YOU'RE HERE?" Both of them nearly drop what they're holding when they see me.

"KURO? No, black clothes…T.O?" I nod. We then group hug.

Compa: "Oh my Goddesses! You're here! I thought we couldn't meet anyone else."

"We're not abandoning anyone. Thanks God you're here."

We then release each other out and IF asks me. "What happened to Kuro? There has to be a reason for you to be here."

I nod. "Kuro is currently trying to save Albion's royalists and the citizens being left behind here."

Compa: "Oh? No wonder people are packing their stuffs. We tried to get back here as fast as possible to tell Tiffania. But, if you're here…"

"I will get you out instantly. Including Tiffania too. Let's go inside first."

When I turn around, I see Tiffania looks at us in surprise. "IF, Compa… You know him?"

IF nods. "Yes, we do. Tiffania, we're going to pack your things. We're getting out of here."

Tiffania looks at her. "Why?"

Compa: "The citizens are already evacuating now. We're getting out of Albion."

Tiffania nods, but hesitates a bit. "But… what about Malthida?"

"I'm going to teleport all of us to her. Don't worry, just pack your things up." She nods and we start executing the plan.

During it, I ask IF: "What's the last thing you girls remembered?"

IF: "After I **pushed Kuro through that door,** I and Compa tried to fend off any monsters nearby. And then, suddenly a light occurred and we were teleported here. We wandered a while we stumbled into Tiffania."

Compa: "It was a week ago. Then we helped her in getting some supplies, and played with the kids when they came here. It was nice."

IF then asks me: "What happened to Gamindustri, T.O? Is everyone safe?" I stop a bit. "T.O?"

"Your Gamindustri was destroyed 8 years ago. By Kuro himself."

Compa asks in surprise: "Eh? Why?"

"Compa, everyone's gone that day. Either they're killed and reincarnated, or they're teleported into another world like you two."

IF asks, shakily: "Then…our children…"

"They're fine, don't worry." They relax. "The only true survivors were Kuro, Schwarz, Weiss and Histoire."

Compa: "Histy is saved too?"

I chuckle: "Well, you should call her Histoire now. We have another Histy already."

IF raises her eyebrow. "Another Histy?"

"I will tell more once we get out of here. Is everyone ready?" They nod. Tiffania is currently having her mother's ring on her finger too, so that's good.

We walk outside, and IF and Compa hold on my arm, and Compa uses her other hand to wrap on Tiffania's arm. I concentrate my power a bit, then…

* * *

Orleans' Mansion, Malthida's POV

We're talking a bit about our stories to each other, including Bidashal.

"So you have a niece?" He nods. "She has researcher in her blood like me. She wants to examine on you guys very much."

Aqua: "She doesn't experiment on human before, right?"

He shakes his head. "No. She only observes from the afar. But she really wants to know about you 'savages' and your cultures."

Kirche smirks a bit: "Savages? We look like ones that much?"

Bidashal: "Considering your conflicts with us in the past, it's not wrong when she thinks about you like that. But, after interact with you and that T.O guy, I think she will have different opinions when she meets you all."

Kirche looks at him, then says: "What are you going to do with us now? Clearly your mission given by Joseph is failed right?"

Bidashal shrugs. "I'm a researcher, I'm not on either side. But, maybe I won't contact him for a while. He's getting on my nerve recently."

Charlotte speaks in a bit of angry. "You shouldn't. He's a no-good king. Kuro is going to overthrow him for sure."

Bidashal chuckles. "I'm sure he will. Joseph is on everyone's hate list. Not only you want to bring him down."

Aqua looks at Charlotte, then giggles to herself. I ask her in curiosity: "What do you find funny, Aqua?"

"Well, I'm just thinking if Kuro would want to be my daughter's father." That makes Charlotte red in embarrassment as she looks at her mother. "Mother! Why did you think that way?"

"Kuro wouldn't mind, that's for sure. Besides, you lost your father for a while. And…" She giggles again. "Don't you want to know more about your White Knight?"

"MOTHER!" She stares at the ground in embarrassment, Kirche smiles and hugs her, I sigh. Kuro would definitely not mind, he likes girls like Charlotte.

Bidashal laughs a bit. "I'm so surprised that you can recover that fast, Duchess de Orleans."

Aqua smiles. "It's because of my past as well, so…" She stops when a glyph appears on the ground, and light occurs. When the light dies down, I see T.O and Tiffania, along with IF and Compa. Kuro would be happy when he sees them being here, in Halkeginia for sure.

I stand up, walk up to Tiffania and hugs her. "I'm glad you're here now. You're not going anywhere without me again, okay?" She's a bit surprised that I suddenly hug her, but then she returns the gesture.

Aqua speaks behind me: "Oh my…IF and Compa are here too?"

IF asks her: "Uh…Do I know you?"

Aqua: "Oh, I'm sorry. You didn't recognize me when I'm like this. I'm Aqua, the Healing Dragon. You knew me before…"

Compa looks at her with her surprise face: "What? The Healing Dragon? But you look so different!"

Aqua: "I was reincarnated here." I and Tiffania release the hug, as she looks at Aqua. "Reincarnated?"

"Meaning rebirth, young half-elf." Bidashal decides to make himself known as he walks to her. "Bidashal, an elf, nice to meet you." He offers her a hand, and she timidly accepts it. "Tiffania, nice to meet you too…"

IF pokes at T.O and he turns to her. "Reincarnated?"

"I told you, didn't I? Many people died that day. He…" He points to the sky again. "…gave them a second chance, living in a different life. For example, she…" He points at me. "Is Linda, and the lady there is Aqua."

IF looks at me, her eyebrows rising. "Linda? Well, the hair color looks the same…"

I sigh. "I don't want to talk about that. Anyway, T.O, what are we going to do now?"

T.O: "For now, let us enjoy today. Then maybe a huge party in the Academy in the future?"

Kirche, still hugging Charlotte, stands up in excitement: "Of course! I'm not letting go off a big chance like that! Wait…" She looks at Charlotte, then to Aqua, and back to IF, Compa and Tiffania. "How are we all going to return back?"

T.O: "I could make the carriage bigger. Easy peasy."

Bidashal looks at all of us, then walks to the door. T.O tries to stop him: "Hey wait, where're you going? Don't you want to join us?" He declines. "I'm sorry, but maybe another time, with my niece as well. You guys can join your fun today. See you in the future." T.O nods. "See you." Then Bidashal opens the door, but before he goes through it, he looks at T.O. "What're you going to this battlefield?" T.O blinks. "Oh…right. I will deal with it now." Then he walks with Bidashal outside.

IF turns to me: "Battlefield?"

I sigh again. "It's a long story. You girls have a lot to catch up."

* * *

Nighttime, 6000 years ago, T.O's POV

'ZZZ…'

Wake up, T.O.

'God damn it, can't I sleep in peace?'

You don't need one.

'Tell that to Kuro.'

Anyway, I suggest you wake up now, before **Sasha** steps on you.

'What the…Sasha? Why the hell would she be in my room?'

Do you think you're in your room?

I open my eyes to see a black layer. Once my eyes are adjusted to the night, I can see that I'm in the middle of the forest. AGAIN. Now I feel how frustrated Kuro was when he was in the same position every time he got teleported. I stand up, and look around, only to land my eye on a structure. It looks like the Academy of Magic in some ways, but… The air…It's not very normal…

"Who are you?" I turn around, to see Death face-to-face, in her base form.

"Death…"

"How did you know me? You're…not human…But…you didn't my target tonight…"

"Then who is yours?"

"Sasha…The elf…The familiar of the accused Brimir…"

I raise my eyebrows. "Not Brimir?"

Death didn't say anything, then… "You're supposed to be scared! Why aren't you scared!" Death starts whining like a baby. Yeah. And the tension vanishes too.

"Now you're the Death I know."

Death starts hitting me with the handle of her scythe. "It's not fair! My records! You're ruining it!"

I don't mind it. It's kind of cute when she does this. But, it won't go anywhere if I just let her do this. I grab her scythe when she tries to hit me. "Why do you want to take her life?" Death tries to pull it away, but proves futile as I grab it too tight. Death then looks at me. "I won't kill her. I just need to find her, manipulate her to kill Brimir. It was…" "Destined to be so?" Death looks at me. I release my hold. "Don't worry. I don't think you would even need to do so. Brimir will be killed anyway." "How are you so…"

"GET HER! SHE KILLED BRIMIR! EXECUTE HER ON SIGHT!"

"See?" I turn to the direction as Death fades away. I use a bit of power to enhance my sight, and I was right, right now Sasha is running for her life, her hands are covered in blood, Brimir's for sure. Behind her, everyone is chasing her. So, I was thrown into the past huh?

She disappeared after this point, but not exactly after, at least that's what Death told me.

"So, my objective is to…"

To bring her to our time.

"Won't that sadden her sons?"

Nah. They will get over it.

"That's…a bit heartless, you know?"

A bit. Now, how are you going to do?

"Let's see…World Door…" I step back to the portal behind me, and it leads me to a far side of the forest. Then, when I turn back, another portal appears on the air a bit in front of me. I walk to it, bring my arms towards and let Sasha fall right on my arms. Sasha recognizes the spell: "World Door? What are you…" When she looks at me, she's a bit scared and surprised that I did the spell, not Brimir, and I'm holding her right now. "Let go of me instantly, now!"

"You want to be caught by the people who tried to cover Brimir's dark past?" That shuts her up a bit, as I make a few far-jumps to increase the distance between us and the chasers. When I'm sure we're safe, I put her next to a tree, as she sits there, looking at her bloody hands. "Regretting your decision?"

"Not in the slightness. But, I don't know where to go now. The war between human and the elves will happen, because of me…"

"Then, go with him." Death appeared before us, or more likely before Sasha and behind me. And Sasha, of course she's afraid when something resembles Death suddenly stands before her, tried to push herself far away, but forgot that she's pushing herself to a tree. "I don't mind."

"Are you sure about that?" I stand up and turn to Death. "I mean, won't it affect your record or something?"

"Nah! He explained to me!" 'That fast?' Yep. "So, you can take her."

"I need to ask her first." I look back to Sasha, who's looking suspicious to me. "What're you two planning?"

"May I ask, if there's still a place for you to go, and I can take you there, will you go with me?" She looks at me, then looks down to the ground. "Where can I go? Everyone would hunt me now, both human and elves…"

*Sigh* "And they said elves are supposed to be more leveled-head than human…" I pull out a handkerchief and start wiping the blood on her hands, and a bit on her clothes. "Don't worry, I will explain things to my friends. They will accept you. So, your answer?" As I wipe out all of blood, she looks to herself again, then to me: "Then, may I ask to get my sword back?" "Back to the place where you killed Brimir? Too risky. Besides, you will meet him in the future."

She thinks a bit about this decision. Then… "All right." I pull her up, and put my hand on her shoulder and start concentrating my power. When I was about to go, I turn to Death. "See you in the future."

"It will be a pleasure to work with you, T.O."

* * *

The next day in present, Kirche's POV

"Urgh…It's morning already?" The sun starts raising, and its light illuminates the whole room, including me. I groan a bit as I sit up, and look to the glass window, then back to Charlotte and her mother. Last night I spent my time here with them, then we just then slept without even noticing. Now, looking them hugging each other in their sleep, smiles on their faces, it makes me feel so heartwarming. Not wanting to disturb their peace, I carefully slip myself out of the bed, and walk out of the room. My current mind now is focusing on going to T.O's room and waking him up. If I can't ask something from Kuro, then T.O can.

After a few minutes, I stand before his room. I, Charlotte and Madam Duchess slept in one room last night, Tiffania and Malthida in one, Compa and IF in one which didn't surprise me much, T.O in one separate room. I slowly open the door, try to make a quite sound as possible, peak in the room. Nothing changes much about a guest room, except T.O is still sleeping now. Hehe, let's see what kind of face he's making while sleeping. I tip toe to his bed, he's not knowing me being in the room yet. When I have a clear view on the bed, he's covering his entire body, including his head, in the blanket. I smile, and pull out the blanket. "Wake up, T.O! It's…"

Everything I'm going to say turns deaf when I finally see who's sleeping in the bed. The figure of a woman, long blonde hair like Tiffania, possibly same height. And she has point ears as well. An elf… Another elf, on T.O's bed…I'm not jealous, not right now, but the fact an unknown elf is here, in Charlotte's house, it raises my alarm. Especially when she's in the most powerful person's room…

Someone put their hand in my mouth to shut me up, and my head was pulled to the person. I prepare for the worst, only to see T.O in his regular outfit, with his free finger on his lips, signaling me to be quite. I nod to so that I understand, and he points to the door. We then walk out of the room without making any more noises…

When he closes the door, I nearly lose my control in my voice. "Why is an elf in here? Especially in your room?"

T.O raises his eyebrows. "You didn't react like that when Tiffania appeared…"

"That's because Malthida was there to make sure she is innocent."

"Okay. This girl was chased by some people because she has killed someone important to them."

"How important was that person?"

"She will be the one to do the talking, not me. Right now, just give her some rest."

"You're talking to casually to a killer."

"Hey, killers and bad guys don't always go hand-to-hand, okay? She did it so… Let her talk, okay?"

"I…will try…" I don't really trust the girl, but if T.O knows something bad, then he would tell us instantly.

He looks at the door, then to me. "She's awake. Let's talk to her." He opens the door, revealing that the elf is indeed awake and she's sitting on the bed. She looks at T.O, then to me. "Your friend, T.O?" He nods and gestures me to her. "Sasha, this is Kirche von Zerbst. Kirche, this is Sasha. Hope you two can get along with each other."

Both of us stare to each other, none has talked after T.O introduced us. After a minute…

"Are you awake yet, T.O? When will we…" T.O and I turn back to see IF in her nightgown, rubbing her eyes. She says: "It seems you are awake as well, Kirche. What's the occasion?"

"Uh…" I look back a bit. She looks to T.O's bed and see the elf on the bed. A small moment passes, as she asks T.O: "When did she get here?"

"In the midnight. He told me to get her." He?

"What's so special about her?"

"Actually, we need to talk with Death about that. She might know something…"

IF tilts her head in curiosity. "Why? Is the girl on her dead list?"

T.O decides to cut it short. "How about you two introduce to each other, then we have breakfast and then go to the lake?"

Time skip, Lagdorian Lake.

"So she's truly from the past? And she's also Brimir's Gandalfr as well?"

Death: "CORRECT! T.O told you all, right?"

IF: "Doesn't mean we can be sure of that. There's a high chance he bent the story."

T.O: "Hey now. When was the last time I did so? Or at least Kuro?"

Compa: "When Kuro tried to hide when we asked him to go shopping and made up a story?"

Aqua: "When Kuro tried to distract some of us while the boys tried to sneak in the hot-spring?"

T.O blinks: "When did he do that?"

Malthida: "Sometimes actually. It's because of the prank Red did to traumatize him."

T.O pouts a bit: "Don't just think like I'm going to do the same."

Charlotte: "You are him, right? Then we have more reasons to not trust you in that."

T.O pinches his nose bridge: "Really?"

We have told Sasha everything, at least what we know about Kuro and his friends. There're some that's hidden by T.O, but we would let it slide since we would talk to Kuro in the future. Sasha is not saying anything as she looks blankly at the scene before her. I ask her. "What's wrong?"

"Probably the fact I stumbled into this group. I'm starting to think if I should stay back then…"

I pat her shoulder. "Don't be. At least you're alive, and now we have a solid evidence to end this war. It's you. Also, after some time, you will enjoy this mishap of a group." I grin to her. She sighs, then looks at Death. "Is that the same Death? I thought she looked like a skeleton…"

"That's her true form. This is just Kuro's new form for her."

"But then where's her clothes?"

"She just doesn't want to wear those."

She looks at me dryly. "How many more strange things will I see?"

"More and more, believe me."

Death suddenly asks T.O: "Do you think Sasha here is someone from your universe? I can't kill her for some reasons."

T.O looks at Sasha, then back to her. "I don't think so. But I'm not sure either, Kuro knows about this better than me. Though, I think he doesn't want her to die, that's all. But, if she IS a citizen of his, then she would have retained her memories, right?"

Sasha asks him: "Who's this person you're talking about?"

T.O: "Think of him as a higher deity than me. Our world is different than you all."

Sasha: "How higher is he than you?"

T.O: "Eh…Not much, but still higher." Sasha is still having doubt, but she drops it there.

Death then suddenly jumps up: "All right! If there's nothing else, I have a lot of souls to gather now!"

T.O: "Souls?"

She nods. "Yep! In Albion!"

I suddenly have a thought of worried. Saito, Louise and Kuro are there, right? What if they're the…

Death looks at my worried face and smiles: "Don't worry. Kuro's group is safe. The ones I'm going to gather are the Rebels."

I exhale in relief. "You made me worried there…"

T.O says: "Then we won't stop you. Do what you need to do."

Death: "YEP! SEE YOU LATER!" Then Death just disappears in the mid-air.

* * *

Time skip to present, Kirche's POV

"So that's what important events happened." Each of us has told Kuro, Louise and prince Wales what we have gone through the few days, as they told their parts before ours. Our objectives are all completed, nearly flawlessly.

Kuro looks at Sasha: "I'm surprised about Sasha though. She's definitely not my citizen. Of course, doesn't mean she's not welcomed. It's her choice."

Henrietta: "But then, what are you going to do now?"

Kuro: "A break is a need. I'm not doing many in the next few days. But, I will try to train you guys to fight."

Aqua: "I do appreciate you helping us, but I don't think we're going to kill people. Not my daughter…"

Kuro: "She already did some kills, of course not on human. Though, you still need to defend yourself right? I'm not telling you to fight this war on the front line, that's your choice. But the soldiers, me and Saito might be."

Saito: "Hold on! When's it decided…"

Kuro: "Do you know about the Uncle Sam's recruit poster?" He nods. "Yeah. It's kinda like that. Besides, we SHOULD be in the front line, let the back line for the girls."

IF smiles at him: "I know you care for us. But…are you trying to imply something?"

Kuro shakes his head: "Nothing. Just a bit of father's instinct."

Compa: "Speaking of that, can we talk to Schwarz and Weiss? It's been 8 years for them, right?"

Kuro nodded and opened his device, and the screen appeared. The background in the other side is his lab, according to him, and someone just walked pass the screen. It's a boy in Kuro's age in appearance, with brown hair and green eyes, oversized blue coat, and he just took a glance to us while taking a sip from his cup. Maybe he saw IF or Compa, because instantly he spat out the drink and he walked to the screen hurriedly.

"MOTHER? AUNT COMPA?" So that's IF's son.

IF waves at him: "Hi sweetheart. Have you waited for us too long?" Compa smiles. "You've grown so big, Schwarz!"

The boy, Schwarz, looks at them in disbelief. Then… "WEISS!" He runs away, and a moment later he comes back with a girl around his age with white hair, pink eyes, pink dress. She's also having a look of surprise in her face as well.

"MOM! AUNT IF! YOU'RE BACK!"

Compa looks at them, and smiles: "You two are still healthy. I'm so glad!"

Weiss now is smiling in happiness, tears in her eyes. Then, she wipes her tears. "Of course. We have to be good to see our mothers again, right?"

Schwarz is smiling too, and he also has small tears. "We have waited you two for 8 years. You have come back to us…" He pauses a bit. "…When can you come back?"

IF: "I…don't really know. I think that's up to him." She nudges Kuro. Kuro answers: "Maybe when I manage to balance this world, just a bit…"

Schwarz wipes his tears away. "The Goddesses are planning to organize a festival here. We really want to enjoy it with you, but…"

Kuro interrupts him. "Sorry, but it has to be done. If not, we may not able to save Uzume."

IF and Compa look at him. "Uzume?"

Weiss: "Something wrong with her?"

Kuro: "You will know. However, don't say that to the Goddesses. And you should remember: **Don't trust Kurome.** You will know why I said that in the future."

Schwarz gives him a look, then sighs. "Please, if it relates to…"

Kuro: "It is not related to Gehaburn, but some matters in the past… "

Weiss: "If that's the case, then…" She suddenly giggles. Kuro asks in confusion. "What's so funny?" "Mom, Aunt IF…" She looks to the two. "Make sure to have our father's first night, okay?" She winks to them, and Kuro suddenly pales. What's wrong?

Then the screen disappears instantly, as IF and Compa looks at Kuro, suspicion and confusion written on respective person's face. "What did she mean, Kuro?"

"Eh…Nothing…" He's sweating now, what the Brimir? What causes him to be so scared like that?

"I will show you girl." T.O speaks up. Kuro shouts to him, after 3 seconds of recognizing something. "WHY DID YOU…"

"Kuro…" He looks at his wives, they are both having their smiles, but the aura they're giving… "Can you explain THAT?" Apparently T.O shows something in the girls' head, and it's possibly related to Kuro, as he suddenly stands up and attempts to run, but then falls on the ground. We look at him, to see that his shoelaces are being tied to each other.

"T.O, WHY?" "I'm doing this for you, my friend." T.O just sips his cup of tea, as IF suddenly pulls out a rope, Compa pulls out a bandage and they start tying him up.

"Girls…please…we can talk about that…" Kuro nervously speaks. We have never seen this side of his before.

IF smiles. "Nope. Not gonna happen. We will make sure we have all of the fun tonight."

Compa: "I'm with IF. You need to be… **educated** , by us~" She says in her sing-song voice. Kuro pales even more as he's thrown on IF's shoulder, like he's being kidnapped. Kuro starts thrashing around, but with no success so far.

"LINDA! SAITO! HELP!" He shouts with his might. Malthida and Saito look at T.O, who just shakes his head. Then back to Kuro. "Sorry, I won't interfere." "The same. I don't want to be on Compa's bad side…"

"YOU TRAITORS!" He starts shouting even more as IF and Compa bring him back to his room. The students also start looking at them in curiosity, since it's a ridiculous scene: Kuro, who caused fear to everyone in a span of few seconds, is being held by two ladies like they're owning him.

When they're completely out of view, and Kuro's shout can't be heard, I look at T.O. "What did you show the girls?"

T.O smirks: "Well, I showed them what really happened…in their **first night**."

The girls, except Sasha, Aqua and Malthida, blush hard, including me. Sasha asks him: "Really? Then why…"

"Because, what I showed them was a bit…different than what they remembered." He sips his tea, then asks Saito: "You remembered your first night, in both your life right?" "Yeah, but what does it…" "Well, the truth is that, **there's only two of them,** and Kuro was not actually in the action. He's on involved in the last part." He winks to Saito, implying what he's saying.

Aqua giggles: "So, all the time, he's still…"

T.O: "Still an innocent boy. *chuckles*"

Malthida facepalms. "How…By the way, how many people found out?"

T.O: "The first one to find out was Plutia, when she tries to 'play' with him…Then to his kids, and all three Histoires."

Saito laughs hard. "WOW! PLUTIA OF ALL PEOPLE! Then, how did he escape?"

T.O smirks: "Obviously the same when he's traumatized by the girls." We haven't heard about this Plutia, so we cannot say anything about her.

Then I ask: "Then…what do you think will happen to Kuro?" T.O looks at me. "You should be the one to…" "I understand. What I meant is: what would happen during THAT time?"

Louise shouts at me in embarrassment: "ZERBST! HOW COULD YOU ASK SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"

T.O shrugs: "Er… Not sure…How about we let the readers imagining it by themselves?"

Obviously.

* * *

 **Chapter 6 end!**

 **Yeah, describing a fight is not my strong suit. Sorry if you want to see the fight between T.O and Bidashal.**

 **Up to date, when I checked the wiki, I only knew that she's in Albion, NOT GALLIA you past-self idiot! But I didn't know where exactly she is.**

 **Also, about Sasha, there's nothing indicated that she's alive or dead. I have seen many stories letting her live through time, even immortal. So, this is my version of how she's alive, by time-traveling.**

 **In the last time, just random ideas. But, it might be funny in its own way. Hope that won't make me change this story's rate to M.**

 **And yeah, if you have read my first story, then you know who the Elite Hunters was. Although they're only mentioned in the first one, this time they will be present in this story, however in someone's appearances in Halkeginia. And sorry RedBurningDragon, the Duchess de Orleans is NOT Mina. You can guess who they are with the names.**

 **And Death is a childish kid... Cliche...**

 **Hope you all enjoy this chapter, and wait for excitement in the next chapters!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing besides my OCs and my stories. Anything else belongs to their respective producers.**

 **Chapter 7 is out! Just returning back to a new semester, so I will update a bit slower. Also, since I have skipped too much, I need more time to figure out how to fix it. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

 **To RedBurningDragon: not exactly RIP if Kuro enjoyed it later. *lenny face* And what did you mean by 'the Right hand will be Nisa coming in with a Prinny next to her'?**

 **All right, everyone, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

The next day, Saito's POV

Shanghai: *Pouting, while munching an apple*

"Did you girls go a little overboard with him last night?"

IF: "Of course not. All three of us had a lot of 'fun' with each other."

"Then, can you explain why he's so moody now?"

Compa says: "Well, I think we're a bit forceful at first, and the sudden command…"

"Is he really that weak when it's come to you two?"

IF giggles: "I think it's only when it's related to his personal space."

All of us are having breakfast in the dining hall now. Everyone is staring at us, since we're having a big group with many important people. Henrietta is sitting with Wales, while Malthida with Tiffania being one pair, Louise and Kirche, Aqua and Charlotte who has changed her name back, Sasha and me. Kuro, or rather Shanghai, is sitting on Sasha's shoulder, he's fuming during our conversation. Probably he's still angry at last night, or…our betrayal to him…I think it's the later.

Sasha looks at Kuro, then to us. "Is he like that every time?"

Compa: "When it's normal around, he's just his childish self."

Wales chuckles in delight. "It feels so weird when he's like this. After the display in Albion and the escape, I don't think anyone would think their savior is so..."

Henrietta giggles. "But then, if he's so serious all the time, we wouldn't have any fun time, right?"

"Of course." Wales agrees. Then: "What's he planning to do now, Saito?"

"I think he's going to train us, so that we can protect ourselves if the war comes. Oh right, Sasha…" I give Derf to her. "He belongs to you." She looks at me. "Then how are you going to fight?" "I have my own weapons, don't worry. I use him because he hasn't been used for a long time, and he also needs to have someone to talk to." She nods, and takes Derf from my hand.

"It's good to see you again, Sasha! Suddenly vanished like that…"

She sighs while smiling. "Say that to T.O. He's the one who pulled me out of the time."

Derf laughs: "I don't blame you for that. I hope you're still keeping your skills after 6000 years."

She snorts. "I should ask if you could still keep up with my skills. But on serious note, did you feel strange during 6000 years?"

Derf stops his laugh. "I…don't think so. However, I do feel like the host is going to break apart."

I blink. The host? "What do you mean Derf?" Sasha explains. "Derf is not a sentient sword, but rather a spirit that's currently living in the sword. He could transfer himself to any kind of weapons. And…wait…" She looks at her hand, the rune of Gandalfr is still there. "If I killed him already, then why…"

"That's our work." We look at Shanghai. "The rune gives you a lot of benefits, right? We decided that you could keep your rune, and all of its disadvantages are removed."

I look at him in suspicion. "Disadvantages?"

"Mind control, makes you completely obedient to your master. Memory lock, and more…"

"Mind control?" I ask him. He nods. "Memory…lock…" He nods again. "…Just how bad is this kind of spell?" "Familiar summoning spell, what do you expect? Although they don't affect much to high-intelligent like us, it doesn't mean we can be carefree with it."

All the mages look at us in fear. Fear? Louise asks: "If…you don't interfere with the spell, then…"

Kuro shakes his head. "It might alter our actions towards you two, but it also has to make adjustments so that it won't harm the summoned. But, it's not fun when you have to obey every command."

Charlotte puts her head down. "But…if it's the truth, then all of the familiars here…are forcefully…"

Kuro: "Don't think that way too much Charlotte." She looks at him, as he floats to her and pats her head. "It's true it might happen, however it's extremely rare. Also, the summon always picks the most suitable familiar for you, meaning it needs to make sure everything won't go bad after that. Of course, you girls are exceptions since he interfered with your spells." He then looks to Aqua and Wales. "I almost forgot, where're your familiars?"

Aqua: "Actually we don't need to do the summoning." Wales continues: "It's kind of a need, rather than a must. The Academy wants to teach the students about working with each others, so it's nearly a tradition to summon in their second year here."

Kuro holds his chin: "Hmm…"

Malthida suddenly asks: "Wait, if Tiffania is here, then shouldn't she…"

Kuro: "That's…a hard decision…"

I look at him. "Why? It's just a summon spell."

He looks at me. "Do you want to go through the spell again? I'm nearly you don't."

Tiffania blinks. "Uh…what do you mean?"

Sasha suddenly remembers something. "Oh right! I'm not just Gandalfr, but Lifprasir as well! But most of the time I use Gandalfr since the other power was a bit dangerous."

I look at her, two familiar runes on one person…Wait… "You're telling me Tiffania is a Void Mage too?"

Kuro nods. "It's kind of a give-away, since her mother's ring has a too powerful healing spell in it. But since she hasn't used it for large scale, nobody notices it."

Kirche: "Wait…if she's a Void Mage, then how didn't she make any explosions in the past?"

Kuro: "The concept of Void is various. Louise and Brimir are similar in term of explosion spells, Tiffania is in healing spells term. Some are in summoning spells term, while some can manipulate things in different ways. Different Void Users use Void in different ways."

IF then asks Kuro: "If so, then can they use different element spells?"

Kuro: "That's…a bit hard to say… I know one who can use ice, one uses thunder, but that's because they're using them before they know how to use Void."

Compa: "Then…what happened if Tiffania summons and…"

Kuro: "The portal would open right next to Saito. However, that's not a guarantee. She MIGHT summon someone else. Not very sure."

Malthida: "But you can stop the spell if it goes wrong, right?"

Kuro: "I don't like to test that. But, if it's necessary, then she can do the summoning spell. I won't blame her."

We nod and finish our breakfast. After that, Malthida just goes and does her job, Aqua and Sasha follows all of us to the class, and Kuro changes back to normal. Our, or rather the mages' class, is being run by Professor Colbert now.

"Hello, class. And…wow, you have a big group there." Colbert fixes his glasses when he sees us. "My pleasure to see Prince Wales Tudor and the Duchess de Orleans here." Both of them smile and wave their hands at him. He nods and starts his lesson. He teaches mostly focus on Fire and its usefulness. Sometimes he gives a bit of demonstration by using a low-class Fire spell to explain about some of his points. During the lesson, I notice that something is being covered by a white blanket. After he explains another point, I ask him while pointing to it: "What's that, Professor Colbert? Some devices of yours?"

"OH?" He looks at it. "That's right. I built it before. I'm going to show what it is later, okay?" I nod. After a few moments later, he opens the blanket, to reveal some kind of engine. All who don't know what an engine is look at it in curiosity.

"Professor…" Kirche begins. "What is that?"

"That's an engine, Kirche." Kuro answers the question. Colbert looks at him in excitement. "You have this in your world?" "Of course. But, you're the one making it, so it should be your honor to show us what you know, right?" "Thank you, Kuro. Now, with this machine, I use only fire and oil to make it work…" You guys can read the novel or watch the anime (although I haven't found it anywhere in the anime, maybe it's not there). "There, you see? The snake puppet is greeting you all."

Most students look at it unenthusiastically, including Sasha, Kirche and Louise. Charlotte, Henrietta and Wales look at it in a bit of curiosity. I, Kuro and Aqua clap our hands. "It's a nice display, Sir Colbert."

Colbert looks a bit sad at first when he sees the students' reactions, but then smiles when he hears our clapping. "Thank you, Saito. I'm very proud of it. It took me quite a while to make it."

A student suddenly asks him: "I don't see how it's going to help us in the future. What's so special about it?"

Colbert was about to answer, when Kuro suddenly asks him: "Have you thought about a horseless carriage? This engine could help you to move it without any help from the horses."

Another student argues: "Then we have our magic."

Kuro: "Then what would happen if you run out of magic?" That shuts them up.

Colbert speaks: "That's right. This engine could help you with that, even without magic. I only use my magic to ignite it, but we also can do it without magic by using the flint as well! And…" He starts talking more about his fantasies. Though, he is the same with the most scientists and researchers in the old time, so I won't say more about it.

Kirche suddenly remembers about my airbus: "Hey, Saito. Did your thing back then use this thing to run?"

I nod. "Although, it needs a more advanced version. The one Colbert has here is only used in the old time. Now, we still use oil at some places, but we mostly replace it with safer resources."

Colbert heard that and asks me. "Safer resources? What do you mean? Oil is not that dangerous, right?" He clearly doesn't know.

Aqua is the one who answers. "Saito is right, Mister Colbert. If you're not careful, your engine could cause the building to go down with an explosion." Colbert pales after he heard that. "And, if it's in the middle of the forest, well, you know the disaster…"

Louise asks her: "But then Mrs. Marietta, we could just put it out with water…"

Kuro: "Water would make the matter worse." She looks at him. "Water would make the oil spread further, the damage will be bigger." Everyone pales when they heard what Kuro just said.

Colbert asks him, a bit shaky of the visual in his head probably. "Then, how can we…"

Kuro: "In that? Use sand, a lot of sand. Either an Earth mage converts the earth around to sand to dump on the fire, or a Wind mage to blow the sand in."

Henrietta recovers after the shock and smiles. "That's a helpful advice from you, on behave on everyone, thank you very much." He shrugs. "It's nothing, really."

Colbert smiles as well. "As the Princess said to you, thanks for the knowledge. Now we know that…"

"KURO!" Agnes suddenly swings the door open and walks in, followed by some of her Musketeers. "The Queen orders your arrival. You should go to the Capital now!"

Kuro sighs, but stands up. "For what occupation?"

"It's about the war. We received intel that the Albion's rebels are preparing an attack to our country. We should…"

Kuro: "When did they get their ships?" She blinks. "What?" "I just destroyed tons of them three days ago. How the hell can they prepare another attack already?"

Agnes: "I'm sorry, but we will go into more details when we meet Your Highness."

Kuro sighs again. "Very well." He looks to us. "I'm going now. I will return back soon."

IF nods: "Be back soon." "Be careful, Kuro." Compa speaks right after that.

Kuro walks to Agnes, grabs her shoulder, and then suddenly all of them, including the Musketeers, disappear.

Colbert blinks, then looks at us for some answers. I sigh. "Let it go Colbert. You still have a class to teach, remember?"

* * *

The Castle, Kuro's POV

I teleported all of us to the palace. If the army I destroyed were just scouts, then Joseph surely has more of them under his sleeve. Agnes doesn't react much to it, probably used to it when T.O did so. The others, however, are looking around in surprise and awe.

"You don't look surprised, Agnes." "It lost its surprise moment in the second time." "Fair enough. Let us go and meet the Queen. Lead the way." "Of course. Follow me."

We head to the meeting room of this place. In there, sitting at the far side of the table, is Queen Marianne and her regent, Cardinal Mazarin. At her left, surprisingly, is King James of Albion himself, and he looks way better than he was when we first met in Newcastle. Looks like he's happier when his citizens are safe. Then, to her right, is someone I haven't seen before. However, based on how he's wearing now, which consists of a red wool cloak covering his shoulder, a light armor underneath it, and a crown on his head, I may guess that he's the Emperor of Germania, Albrecht. Three leaders of three nations in one table, that can't be good. Agnes excuses herself and walks to a wall and leans to it.

"Ah, Kuro, you're here." The Queen notices me walking in and stops her conversation with the other leaders. "I was expecting you're coming in the afternoon, but then I remembered…"

I smile and bow to her. "Good morning, Your Highness. I can't let a high authority like you waiting, right?"

James waves a hand at me when I raise my head up. "Come here, my friend. We have something to discuss with you." He pats the chair next to him. I nod and walk to it, then sit at the table.

The Queen speaks. "Kuro, you may already know king James of Albion already." I nod. She raises her palm to Mazarin. "This is Cardinal Mazarin, my regent. He helps me ruling my nation." I nod as a greet to him, and he nods back. Then she turns to Albrecht. "This is Albrecht, the Emperor of Germania. Hope you two can get along." The same happens like before.

"Madam Marianne, I don't want to be rude, but what's so important to send Agnes to retrieve me so early?"

James answers instead of her: "It's about Reconquista. They have succeeded in taking over Albion. After we left, there're even more warships approached there. Now, according to our information, they're preparing their ships and their soldiers to attack Tristain. That's why I have traveled here last night to warn the queen."

I nod then turn to Albrecht. "Then, what about you, mister Emperor?"

Mazarin interrupts me: "Excuse me, sir Kuro, but…are you a little rude to our Highnesses here?"

I blink. "My words are? If they offended you, then I'm sorry."

The Queen giggles. "Don't apologize, Kuro. I haven't told him much about you, so he only knows that you're important, somehow."

The Emperor looks at me, then asks me: "May I ask what your relationship with princess Henrietta is?"

I turn back to him. "We're just friends, why?"

Albrecht: "If you didn't know, I have an arranged marriage with Henrietta. I'm here to discuss with the Queen of Tristain about it."

I smile, however, I'm kind of annoyed on the inside. I really, REALLY HATE arranged marriage, even if it's for 'greater good'. And I'm not even sure if this Albrecht is good or bad. There're way too many problems with that in our country's history alone, and we know first hand how it turned out.

"May I ask if you love her or not?"

He blinks, then smiles. The smile doesn't hold any bad intention. "Well, love is kind of rich. Like her, definitely, everyone likes her. But love, maybe I need more time to understand her."

"And yet, you still agree with this?"

The Queen sighs and says: "I know you might have something against it, but please, understand. My country is the weakest out of all nations. It's only fair to…"

I interrupt her. "I know, I know. 'For greater goods.' But there has to be another way, right? Marriage is something extremely important to a girl. If she marries someone she doesn't hold much of a feeling to, then it's not going to turn well in the future."

Albrecht asks me: "Then, what do you suggest? I'm also not really fond of the idea, but since that's the best option they're having now…"

I pinch my nose bridge. "And I'm planning to unite this world…"

"What do you mean? Unite this world?" This time Mazarin asks me.

"I was planning to help all of the nation, including the elves' land. I'm trying to remove all bad reputation between human and elves, and help you guys in ruling this world together."

"That's laughable, mister Kuro. You know it can't be happening. The elves have gone war with us for 6000 thousands of years, they won't back down that easy." Albrecht speaks to me while smiling a bit.

"I will deal with the elves. What about building a better relationship between your nations?"

James: "Well, we're trying our best. But it won't be easy. Especially when Joseph is the king of Gallia."

I know why, but… "I take it that you all don't like him?"

Albrecht: "We really don't, even more after we found out he's the one who's behind the Rebels, aside from Cromwell."

"I see." So they found out. Good. My plan will be smoother. "Then, may I ask you all to leave Gallia to me to deal with? I will also help you with the Albion's Rebels as well."

All four of them look at me like I'm crazy. The Queen asks me: "I'm sorry, but that's Gallia's matter. Why do you think you can do anything…"

"Have you heard about Marietta?"

The Queen has a look of surprise in her face. "You know the Duchess de Orleans?" Then she turns sad. "Unfortunately, she turned ill after her husband was dead. We can't really do anything for her."

I smile. "Don't worry, she's fine now."

James: "How can you be so sure? She's in Gallia, right?"

"What're you talking about? She's in the Academy of Magic with Prince Wales now."

Obviously that catches everyone out of guard. Then the Queen suddenly remembers: "Wait, if in the time you rescued Albion's people, T.O…"

"Yep. Your guess is right." I chuckle when I see their faces right now, it's hilarious.

Albrecht asks Marianne: "What are you talking about? Who is this T.O?"

She explains. "Basically, this T.O is his brother." What? Why is she lying? "He protected my daughter a few days before, and we're in debt with him." Well, that much is still the truth, but still…

James nods, then turns to me: "So, while you're rescuing me, your brother crossed the land and saved the Duchess?"

I nod. "That's the abridged version, yes." Okay, just roll with it, for now.

Albrecht: "I see. Back to the matter at hand, what are you going to do, mister Kuro and Your Highness?"

That leaves us in silence for a while. Tristain doesn't really have much to offer Germania, aside from the resources…

Albrecht suddenly says: "You know what, the world's union might be a good trade for my help." All of us look at him now. Albrecht, of all people, would say something like that…

I ask him. "Are you sure about that? I mean, it will cost something for your army…"

"Don't worry about it." He waves his hand casually. "Besides, the relationship between the Zerbst and the Valliere is still going good, and I don't want to ruin it."

"…That…" I have nothing to say. How one renewed relationship could change an Emperor's view like that is beyond me.

"I…we…the citizens of Tristain thank you very much." The Queen says, happiness in her voice.

Mazarin continues: "We will make sure your help won't go to waste." Albrecht nods. "Then, excuse me. If there's nothing else, I will return back to my nation." We all nod, as he walks out of the door.

When I'm sure he's out of ear-reach by using my detection spell, I immediately turn to Marianne. "Why do you have to lie like that? About T.O being my brother?"

The Queen answers: "I don't want him to know, yet. The lesser people know about you, the better."

I lean back to my chair. "I suppose so. But, I'm surprised that Albrecht would offer his help that easily."

James looks at me. "You were expecting something bad?"

"Yeah. Since my past, I have to be caution about that. Don't want to take a risk." Then… "Wait, have you told Marianne about Wardes?"

The Queen nods sadly. "Yes, he did. I felt so horrible when I heard about it. Wardes was such a good noble, and yet…"

"Don't worry Madam. I was planning to get him back to our side. He still has a heart."

Mazarin: "Everything is run accordingly now. What are you going to do now, mister Kuro?"

"You two are going to recruit the men to your army, right?"

The Queen nods. "It's necessary. I hope you don't stand against us for that."

"No, no. It's a must-do, I understand. But…" I turn to Agnes. "I have a request. I want your Musketeer squad to help training the students in the Academy. I will make a reasonable schedule with the Headmaster."

Mazarin: "I understand that you want the students to keep up with study, but we're in a war time now."

"Even in war time, education is still important. My country has suffered because the kings were too arrogant to recognize that. I don't want you to be the same."

James: "You sure know much about your country."

I shake my head. "I don't dwell much into the past, but I still need to know to prepare for the future. Anyway, do you two agree with my term?"

Mazarin: "How much time do you need?"

"Three days."

The Queen tilts her head in curiosity. "You only need that much? I mean, you have to train them, right?"

"I have my way, don't worry. Mazarin, can you write down an order paper and let the Queen sign in it? If I speak without it, maybe the students won't be convinced. And… for politics reason. At least they will know the Queen allow it."

Mazarin nods. "Normally I won't take orders from everyone that easily, however, the Queen seems to respect you a lot, so I will do it. But, it might take a while. Can you wait?"

I nod. "Of course. Take your time, it's still early." Mazarin stands up and walks out of the room.

James suddenly asks me: "How is my boy doing?"

"He's in the Princess' good hand now. They're in the middle of the class when I got here."

The Queen: "I'm sorry for the sudden…"

"Don't worry. I don't really have anything to do yet."

James: "Then, what about the Duchess?"

"Recovered, and with my mistress now."

James has a question over his head. "Mistress?" Marianne remembers: "Oh right, you're here by the summoning spell, right? But why is she with your mistress?"

I snicker. "They're family."

They have a surprise face now. Then James laughs: "So THAT is why you said to leave Gallia to you. You can deal with it with no politics problems. Nice going there."

I look to the Queen. "I hope you don't have anything to say."

The Queen shakes her head and smiles. "Of course not. After all, it's GALLIA's problems, not ours." After that, we just talk about daily stories, nothing so important.

About an hour later, the paper has been signed. I took it, said goodbye to the leaders, and walked out of the door. But before I teleported away, Agnes walked to me…

Agnes: "When do you want us to come?"

"I think you can go after you have lunch. You need something to fill up your belly to fight later, right?" I make a small joke about it. Agnes just shakes her head in amusement. "I guess so. See you later." "The same to you."

* * *

I teleported to the Headmaster's Office instantly, causing both Malthida and Osmond to nearly jump in surprise.

Old Osmond: "Brimir! Don't do something like that! My heart won't take it lightly."

I chuckle: "Sorry about that, but you need to read this. It's from the Queen." I give the paper to Old Osmond. During the time he's reading it, Malthida asks me: "So the noise a few hours ago…"

"Yeah, it's the Musketeers. They're ordered to retrieve me."

"This early?"

"Albion's Rebels are going to attack Tristain. They're preparing even more warships now."

"I see. Then about the paper…"

Old Osmond answers: "It's a permission to allow the students to train. Kuro, I know you want to protect us and want us to be strong, but it doesn't mean we can abandon our education. Three days won't help either."

I smile. "I never SAID anything about you stopping your education. I just want you to make up schedule for about two hours after the study, that's all."

Old Osmond is not convinced. "That's even worse. What can you teach during two hours?"

"It's **two weeks of training, is that okay?** "

Silence. Then Malthida understands. "I see. You are going to transfer them to a sub-dimension, correct?"

"Yes. That's my idea."

Old Osmond has a look of understand now. "So, you want to slow down time in this world, and train the students in another area. That's good. In this way, we don't have to worry about their education being interrupted. Okay, that will do. But when will you start?"

"Maybe this afternoon. I have asked the Musketeers to train them as well. Training a large groups of noobs is not my thing."

Old Osmond tilts his head. "Noobs?"

"It nearly means with fresh recruits. It's…a bit of a slang in my world."

"Okay then."

Malthida looks at me, smirking. "Noobs? Really? Calling them noobs?"

"Hey, he agrees. They don't have any real combat experience, except maybe Charlotte and Wales, and MAYBE Louise if her mother is serious."

She shrugs: "I guess so."

Old Osmond walks to the door. "Can you two follow me please? I will make an announcement now."

* * *

The 'broken' yard, Kuro's POV

That happened about a few hours ago. Right now, many of the students are standing there, waiting for the Musketeers to come. They're extremely nervous now, since the war is coming, and they're scared that I'm going to attack them at any seconds. Well, that's how I'm going to do anyway, so it's understandable.

Wales walks to me and asks: "May I ask how much we can learn in two hours? I mean, I have trained a lot of soldiers before, and two hours are only enough for some basic movements."

I smirk, and whisper in his ear. Wales looks at me a bit, then shakes his head. "Brimir, you and your crazy plans."

Henrietta asks him when she sees us talking. "What are you two talking about?"

I wave my hand in front of my face. "Nothing much. You will know."

Adam asks me: "What are you going to teach them, anyway? I don't think you want to teach."

"That's why I leave it to you and a few more to train them. I just provide you physical requirements for you to work with."

Sasha: "You mean us, don't you?"

I smile. "Of course, who else?"

Then the Musketeers appear, led by Agnes herself. She walks to me and asks: "So, what are you going to do now?"

I smirk this time, and flick my finger…

… And we're in the middle of the Colosseum now. Well, 'we' is not very exact, since I'm in a different room, watching all of them now. Everyone is having shocked looks now, looking around them so see modern devices laying here and there. The royal couples are also surprised, even when they have seen my house. The only ones who aren't really surprise are Adam and Aqua. Malthida doesn't join us this time. Even the two elves aren't hiding their shocked faces. You're asking why the students are not afraid of them? They faced literal Death before, so elves aren't their worst fear anymore. But they're still surprised nonetheless. I decide to scare them a bit, as I press a button on the controller to open the screens on the walls.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the Colosseum." Upon hearing my voices, everyone starts looking at the screens around them to see me on the screen. "As you can see, this place has a lot of equipment you have never seen before. In here, I can give you all what you need to train, so don't hesitate to ask. Also, prepare your mind, because we're going to stay here for two weeks." And instantly all of them shout in protest about what I just said. And the most I hear is: "We're said to have only two hours of training, not two weeks." So I answer: "Two hours, yes, but you're talking about your world. In here, two weeks are just two hours in your world. Your Headmaster knew about it, and he agreed with me since it's not going to affect your education. So, enjoy your training here, and have a good day." I change the screen to a countdown clock, but I keep the audio from their side to mine, to hear the students shouting a lot, causing Agnes to silence them and starting whatever she has in mind for a training. Well, have fun everyone!

* * *

Bath house, duh, Neptunia crossover, remember?, after the first day training, Aqua's POV

"I HATE him, so much…" Louise growls in anger. We're taking a bath after that hellish training from the trainers. They include me, Adam, Wales, Agnes, Sasha and IF. Compa is only helping in some 'healing' stuffs to get the students back to the training. Cave and Lyrica stay behind to protect the school. Right now, we're just trying to get them in shape, they're not ready for anything else yet. Luckily my daughter is good, but she still doesn't have enough stamina for this. Kuro did provide us anything for a military training, but…sometimes he just went around and trolled everyone when they're trying to spar with each other. The students tried to blow him up since he's too annoying, but…either he just barrel-rolled or just straight up blocked it. In the end, luckily, we still had the training in progress, and the students also know now how to fight, just a bit.

IF: "You just have to deal with it. At least he let the students using him as a training dummy."

Kirche deadpans: "I wouldn't count him as 'training dummy', but 'annoying dummy'. Seriously, all he did was running around and messed with us."

Compa: "But you tried to hit him with your spells, right?" She nods, a bit reluctant. "He wanted you to hit him, to increase your accuracy. I won't make any excuses for his annoyance, though."

Charlotte looks at me. "Did he do things similar to this when you were…"

I nod. "Yes. But at least he's not interrupting anyone. He just wants to make everyone feel comfortable."

Louise asks: "And everyone is okay with it?"

IF: "Neptune did that all the time, and probably still now. Don't be surprised."

Montmorency asks in curiosity: "You mean the purple Goddess?"

I turn to her. "You know her?"

My daughter answers: "Actually, we talked with her and her sister a few days ago. They're stuck in another dimension, but I think that they're back now."

"I see." Still the same Neptune we know and love.

Agnes suddenly jumps in the conversation. "Was the training good enough, Mrs. Marietta?"

"I think it's okay. But I think we're going to need monsters for the students to…"

"MONSTERS? WHAT?" Louise shouts at me.

IF also has the same thought. "Why monsters? I thought this is just a human civil war."

"Joseph is a ruthless man. He would use anything to throw at us. He also has dragon knights too, so letting the students fight the monsters is a good idea."

Compa asks: "But then, which kind?"

Henrietta also asks: "And even if it's a good idea, can you guarantee everyone's safety?"

I smile. "I'm sure of that. Kuro is not going to let anyone killed. Just…severe wounded." And I receive deadpan looks from everyone. "Just put it aside from now. Let us rest and then prepare for the next workout."

* * *

Halkeginia, two hours later, Colbert's POV

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let him train the students, Headmaster?"

Old Osmond: "Oh, I'm sure nothing bad will happen. Besides, the other adults will train the students. He only helps them in equipment and such…"

"But still, for two hours only…"

Old Osmond: "Two weeks, Colbert. Two weeks of training."

"…How?"

"We're talking about Kuro, right?"

I decide not to dwell in it anymore. We're standing in the 'broken' yard, as Kuro and the others dubbed it. I, like the others, was told they will be back after two hours of training. I was in my laboratory during that time, so I didn't notice the students not being around until I felt a sudden silence around. Right now, there are three of us, including Malthida.

"But, I'm sure he would train them in some ways, right?"

Malthida: "Knowing him, I think he would screw with the students, make them annoyed and they start shooting spells at him."

Old Osmond laughs: "Is that the same in your past?"

Malthida: "Regularly."

Then, a large pillar of light appears, causing us to cover our eyes. When it dies down, we can see all of the students and the trainers, but it looks like they just did something that required them to fight very hard, since they're breathing hardly, as most of them can't even stand on their two feet and have to support themselves with both of their arms. The only one who looks fine is Kuro.

I'm a bit worried as I ask all of them. "What happened everyone?" Right after I finish the question, all of them point to Kuro, they look annoyed and angry a bit.

I turn to him. "What did you do?" Kuro shrugs. "Just scare them a bit." "Scare them a bit won't cause this problem."

Adam answers: "He released a group of S-Rank dragons to us, and they're magic resistance. You know the rest."

Malthida looks at Kuro in disappointment. "Really? Just to scare them?"

Kuro: "Hey, they're okay, just a bit tired. Don't worry." Then he just walks away, like nothing happened.

The trainers are the first ones to get up, as they help the students to stand up as well. I turn to Old Osmond. "And he asked for two more days?" "Yes." I look back to the students, and sigh. "I hope this worth everything."

Two days later.

And luckily it did. The students are being in good hands, and now they can control their magic very well. Even Louise, who's supposed to have problems with it, now she can go one-on-one with a group of students with no troubles. I'm happy that they're getting better and better, but I'm also worried. The war is coming, and they have to fight for it. I was a soldier before, and I don't want them to walk in the same path as mine.

"Doesn't mean they can escape it, Colbert. They need to know about the cruel of the world."

"Even if it's the truth, I still want them to have the best time as a student with each other."

Right now, I and Kuro are in my research room. He's helping me with some formulas I have been making up. He won't give me any of advanced technology, but he gave me some ideas for me to improve my own. He didn't want this world to have technology too fast, and I understand. People can get crazy ideas when they see better things.

"The same to me with the citizens. I can only protect them to one point, they will have to deal with the others by their own."

"Then, about your immorality system?"

"Just a back-up plan for any invasions. I don't want them dead because of that."

"Right…" I then think back about my past…

"Do you want to speak to Agnes?" "For what reasons?" "You remember the event in Angleterre, right?" I turn to him and am about to ask how he knew, but then I remember what he is. "Yes, why?" "The kid you saved, it's her. Now, she's having hatred towards mages, especially Fire mages. I don't say she's wrong, but she must know that not every mage is bad, and we have a handful of examples for that." "She won't forgive me." "Doesn't mean she has to hold the grudge towards you forever. And I won't tell you to do it now. It's your choice, not mine." "I will think about it, thanks for telling me it." "You're welcome."

A few moments of us working in silence. Then… "What are you going to do tomorrow, Kuro?" "Training the students." "You said you need three days only." "They need to be on shape all the time. But they have learnt enough, they just need to remind themselves to not forget." "Alright. I won't dwell with it any longer. Do what you think it's good for them." "Roger."

* * *

One week later, Kuro's POV

"You're returning to Tarbes?"

"Yes. Are you going with me? Maybe you can find out who my mother was."

"Of course. But let me ask my wives to come. And who wants to, okay?"

"No problem, I can wait."

If you're wondering why The Creator skips to one week, then here's the answer: Reconquista hasn't attacked yet, but they're gather their troops as many as possible, since Cromwell and Joseph has probably heard about me by Wardes, and they want to make sure to win against me. And the students, the male ones, are now having the call from the Tristain's army, and they're preparing to leave the school. Also, I now notice I skipped the time too fast. But, well, OP OC is my only excuse. Sorry. Siesta is having a break, and she's returning back to her village. I take this chance to go to with her, along with few others, to see who her mother was and the 'dragon' there. Oh, and Wales has returned back safely to La Rochelle, Henrietta went back to Tristania for a while for a bit for 'politics reasons'.

I have got IF, Compa, Sasha with me. Tiffania is staying with Malthida, and Aqua with Charlotte. Kirche wants to stay with Charlotte longer for more 'bonding' time. No, it's the truth, I just want to screw with your dirty minds. Hehe.

But, I forgot one thing. Because of the time skip…

We're about to get on the carriage (I decide not to teleport this time to take the scenic road) when I suddenly feel an attack from above which is aiming at Sasha. I immediately use Last Defender to protect her, as all of us look at the attacker. It's just a flintlock shot, but still dangerous nonetheless, and the attacker is Julio, who's descending with his dragon, his gun is still aiming at Sasha. The students around start drawing their wands as well, since he just attacked us.

When the dragon touches the ground, he jumps of its back and draws his sword out, the gun is still aiming at the previous target.

Julio speaks to me when I stand between him and Sasha. "Step aside sir. I don't want to shoot you."

I don't move. "Sorry, you're aiming at my friend. Unless you want to get beaten up, then I suggest you lower that gun now."

Julio chuckles. "Beaten up? By whom?"

"By me…" I wander my finger around. "Or them." Julio now notices that the students are aiming their wands at him.

He asks me: "Why are you defending that Elf? She is…"

"An Elf? So?"

"You know we're at war with them, right?"

"Like we care. Now, do you have any other purposes coming here, rather than killing her?"

He looks at his surrounding, then back to us. Then, he pockets his gun. "I was transferred here as a student from Romalia. Name's Julio Chesare."

"Kuro. Now excuse me, we're a bit late from our travel. Welcome to Tristain's Academy of Magic."

* * *

Saito's POV

Is this the reason he didn't ask us to come with him? When Julio aims his gun up again, trying to shoot Sasha when their backs are turned, I walk up to him and put his hand down, causing him to startle a bit, but regain his composure instantly.

"You too? You're protecting an Elf?"

"We have our reasons for it." I turn to everyone. "It's okay now. Everyone, you can dismiss now." They comply and return back to what they're doing. I turn back to him. "Now, I know you're the new student, so we will let this slide. But, don't do something like that again."

He pulls his arm back and pockets his gun. "Who are you to give command to me like that?"

"Saito Hiraga, a familiar."

He suddenly gets interested. "So you are Gandalfr?"

I make a suspicious face. "How did you know?"

"People has talked about two legendary familiars here. One is a Void mage's familiar, and the other is Death. Is it true?"

"So?" Kuro's group has left the school gate.

"Then…" He walks a bit far from me, and then points his sword to me. "I want to have a spar with you."

I look at him, then turns away. "Sorry, but I don't have a mood for it now. Maybe in the future."

"Why? You're scared that you will lose?"

"No. Feel that you will go down in a few seconds. Now, you should meet the Headmaster of the school for your transfer." He's fuming a bit, but complies and walks to the Headmaster's Office, with the servants pointing him to.

Louise asks me, she's a bit worried. "Do you think he's an enemy?"

"No. Kuro never said anything about him, so I don't think he is. But he's here for a reason, I'm sure of that."

Guiche walks to me and bows. "Saito, we're going to war now. Please protect our friends here. We cannot fight the war when our girls are not safe."

I put my hand on his shoulder, as he looks up to me. "We promise you. Fight with all your strength, and return back to us. That's an order." All the boys salute to me, and I return it. They have to return, that's for sure.

The next day

After the morning routine, I walked out of Kuro's house and started heading to Louise's room. But… half way to her room, I heard her shouting, so I ran as fast as I could to her room. And when I reached the floor where her room is, the shouting stopped. I thought she was being silenced, so I opened the door the instance I reached it.

But it seems it's not as bad as I thought. In the room, Louise is hugging someone, who I feel like is a bigger version of Louise, and a blonde lady who looks a bit irritated. The room is not being messed up, much. That doesn't explain the shout earlier though.

"Uh, Louise…" All three of them finally notice me. "Why were you shouting earlier?"

"Saito!" Louise releases the older lady and stands straight up… Probably her mind is still not functioning properly after the training yet. "Uh, it's nothing! I'm not…in danger or anything."

"Your wording says otherwise Louise. Anyway, who are these two?"

The blonde lady asks me, a little bit angry: "Who are you to speak so casually towards us like that?" Then she turns to Louise, noticing she's standing in a too formal way. "Why are you standing like that, Chibi-Louise?" Louise realizes it, and lets her body relax.

I sigh, correct my stand as I speak: "I suppose I should introduce myself first. My name is Saito Hiraga, Louise's familiar. May I ask you two's names?"

The pink lady answers: "Let me answer your question. My name is Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Fontaine, Louise's middle sister. And this…" She gestures to the blonde. "Is Eleonore Albertine Le Blanc de La Blois de La Valliere, my eldest sister." So, Louise's sisters? But why the shouting?

"Then, you're here for Louise, right? Then, why did she…"

Louise answers this time: "My mother wants me to return to my home." "For what reasons?" "For…" She hesitates to answer, as she swirls her fingers around.

The blonde, Eleonore, looks irritated. "Why do you want to know, commoner? It's nothing related to you." Wow, commoner…it's been a while after the fight between me and Kuro that I haven't been called a commoner. The blonde lady seems to have Louise's anger side, while the pink lady has her soft side.

I speak: "If you haven't forgotten yet, I said that I am her familiar. It's my duty to know what happened to her now."

Eleonore looks at me, a bit disbelieved, then back to Louise. "Did this person speak the truth? He's your familiar?" Louise nods. Then, she turns back to me. "Then, this is the reason: Louise will return back to our home, so that she would marry to the Duke we have chosen to fit her."

I deadpan, and look at Louise: "You know Kuro hates that, right?" She nods. "But it's my mother's order. I cannot simply…"

 _Can you go with her?_

'T.O, what are you suggesting?'

 _Just come with them. I, Lyrica and Cave can protect this Academy good enough. Even Linda and Aqua are here, so there's nothing to worry._

'That's not what I'm worrying. I'm thinking about her mother's arrangement.'

 _Don't worry. After you talk with her, she will cancel it instantly._

'How can you be so sure?'

 _The only reason she arranged it because she thought Louise might not get any better with her magic. Now, she can stand on her own now, so her love life is no longer her concern._

'But even then, do you think a Noble would listen to a person like me?'

 _*chuckle* You will know, when the time is come._

'Both of you. No, all three of you are a handful.'

 _And we're proud of it._

"HEY! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?" Eleonore is standing before me while I'm talking with T.O. And she probably just asked me something.

"Excuse me. I have something in my mind. Can you ask your question again?"

She looks angry now. "Did you just ignore me like that? How dare you!" And she shouts a few more words I don't really care much.

Cattleya pulls her older sister back away from me. "Please stop shouting to the young man, Eleonore." She looks to me. "Anyway, we're going to the carriage now, so if you don't mind stepping aside…"

"I'm going with you all." That causes all of them to look at me in surprise. "Louise is my master, so I have to be on her side. Now, I will give you some time to prepare, I'm heading down now." After that, I close the door and walk down the stairs.

When I reach the schoolyard, I see Aqua walking with Charlotte and Kirche now.

"Aqua!" I call her, and all three of them look at me. "I and Louise are going to home now. Can you look after the school with Lyrica and Cave please?"

She tilts her head. "What for?"

"Her sisters just came here, and they're helping her preparing some stuffs before…"

Aqua interrupts me: "Wait, Cattleya is here too?" "Yes, why?" Then she suddenly walks to the nearby table. "Tell her to meet me here when she comes down. I need to cure her a bit."

Kirche suddenly remembers and asks me: "Right! Cattleya is the middle sister, right?" I nod. "She is sick, and none of the Water mages have managed to cure her yet." Then she turns to Aqua. "You think you can help her?"

Aqua shakes her head. "I can only improve her health. Because of this era, we haven't found out what the true cause of her illness is. When your group and Kuro's group return, Compa can check her up for better judgment."

Charlotte asks her: "Can your old magic can help her?"

Aqua nods. "It's magic, after all. It's not different very much."

A few moments later, the Valliere sisters come down, and I call them to us. When they come near, Aqua greets the girls. "Hello to you all. I hope you are still in good shape."

Both Louise's sisters are surprised that the Duchess de Orleans is here, that they kneel before her instantly. Eleonore is the one to speak first. "Duchess Orleans! I thought you were…"

Aqua: "Stand up, you two." They stand up as her command. "As you can see now, I have been cured, thanks to a dear friend of mine. Now, Cattleya, can you sit here?" She gestures to a chair next to her. The middle sister complies. Aqua puts her hands towards Cattleya, then a blue glyph shines under the sister. Everyone acts normally, except Eleonore and Cattleya who're extremely surprised now. After a while, the glyph disappears, and Aqua asks the middle sister: "How do you feel now?" She looks at her body for a while, then… "I feel better now. Thank you so much. But how…" Aqua just smiles. "Ask your mother, she will explain anything. Now, you don't want to keep your mother waiting, right?" The girls realize that, and hurriedly walk to the carriage.

Before I follow them to the carriage (The eldest sister will sit with Louise, I will be in one with Cattleya) when Aqua stops me a bit.

"What is it, Aqua?"

" **Tell Karin that Aqua sends her regards, okay?** "

"Aqua sends her…" I repeat it a bit, then… "OH COME ON!"

* * *

After that, in the carriage

"Did Madam Marietta say something rude to you?"

"No, nothing. It's just…her request made me realize something…"

We're in the middle of the way now. When I look at Louise's carriage, I see that she and her sister are in the middle of some conversation. But, it seems she somehow angers Eleonore even more than when we're at the Academy.

"By the way, did you know how the Duchess was cured?"

"From what I heard, my friends managed to convince the Water Spirit of Lagdorian Lake to give them one of her part, and with that they cured her."

"I see…The Duchess and my family are close friends before. But after the Duke died…"

"I heard the story too. You don't need to worry anymore." I decide to change the subject. "Do you feel better now? I heard that you were sick when you're small."

She nods. "Yes, I was."

"A…Marietta said that she could only improve your health. If we want to cure you completely, we need another friend of us. She's an expert in medical treatment."

She smiles. "Thank you very much." Then… "What's your relationship with Louise?"

I raise an eyebrow. "We're just friends, and I'm her familiar technically. Why?"

"Well, I thought it would be something more, when you're so worried about her before…"

I recall it, and chuckle: "It's nothing more than just friends. Although, I think she might see me as an older brother, or even a father…"

"Father?" She looks at me up and down. "You're not older than her much."

I chuckle again. "You don't know the half of the story…"

 _Uh, Adam? You might want to be careful._

'What, T.O?'

 _The Creator is trying to…manipulate Louise's mind a bit._

'…What?'

 _Kuro told you about the original you, right? The Creator is trying to pull out the same thing._

'…Tell the Creator to go to hell. No way am I going to fall in love with her.'

 _Hey, I said he might manipulate Louise, not you._

'…OH COME ON! CAN'T I GET A BREAK?'

Cattleya notices I'm spacing out. "Saito, are you okay?"

I return back and look at her. "Don't worry. It's nothing. By the way, what're your parents' names?"

"My mother's name is Karin Desiree de Valliere, and my father's is Antonie Hendrick de Valliere."

"And, do they love you?"

Cattleya looks at me, a bit skeptical. "Why do you ask that?"

"Both I and Kuro, one of my friends, extremely hate abusive parents. So don't be surprised if I suddenly act violent when I hear about that."

She relaxes. "That's why. No, our parents care about us. Even though they're a bit strict, they are good parents at heart." A little silence. "What about yours?"

Sorry, I'm going to skip here. You can think a background for him as you see fit. I have seen many versions of his backgrounds, so I'm not creating anymore. But, only think the Earth background, not Gamindustri's background.

* * *

Two days later

The sky has turned dark, and the two moons are above us now. A while later, I can see light emitted from the afar. Upon closer, it's from a very big mansion.

"We have arrived Saito." I nod and walk down, followed by Cattleya. Two lines of maids and butlers on both of our side are already waiting for their Mistresses to come back. All of them bow and greet them in a formal way. Man, it feels a little weird. Luckily all of the Goddesses and Kuro don't hire butlers and maids for this, otherwise…

We're inside the dining room now, as the three sisters and her mother, Karin, are eating their dinner. I have eaten a bit before I got here, so it's not a problem to me to get hungry any sooner.

But, this kind of silence…it's a bit awkward…

"Um, mother…" Louise is the first one to speak, but gets interrupted by her eldest sister.

"Mother! Tell her that she should stay at home from now on! She's probably still the same as before!" Okay, that's annoying. I don't know if this is just overprotective but she doesn't know how to express it, or just pure aggressive.

Louise slams her knuckles on the table and stands up: "I'm not the same as before! I have improved much so that I can help Henrietta as much as I can!"

"Help her? With your zero talent? Are you joking?" Wait a second, it's just about two to three weeks from the time I and Kuro arrived, right? Maybe they didn't get the latest information. But then, how can the information come so slow?

"I have been training for 7 weeks already! I can even fight against a group of students now!"

"You? Training? What kind of joke is…"

"Wait a second." Cattleya interrupts both of them. "7 weeks? It's just about 4 weeks after the opening of the new semester. What are you talking about?"

Louise, now realizing her mistakes, puts her hands over her mouth, her eyes show that she knows she screwed up. Eleonore, now looks even more furious, asks her: "What more secrets are you hiding from us? Tell us now!"

Louise was about to talk, but I walk to her and put my hand on her shoulder. She looks at me as I say: "Let me do the talking from now." She looks a bit uncertain, but then nods and sits back to her chair.

I look back to the sisters and her mother. "Tell me, what's the latest news you got? Is it related to the war between Tristain and Albion?"

Eleonore hasn't changed her attitude yet. "Why should we tell you? You're just a commoner, you can't do anything…"

"Oh, you have no idea I and Louise have actually done during her new semester." Oh, before I forget, I look at Karin. "Aqua sends her regards to you, madam Valliere." I turn back to Eleonore. "Now, if you haven't heard yet, the citizens of Albion…"

"Are safe and they're stationing at La Rochelle, correct?" Surprisingly, Karin was the one to speak that. Now all of us look at her. "One intel before said that the Royalists with the King and the citizens suddenly disappeared without a trace, even the Royal Sovereign and the Eagle as well. Then, a few days later, another said that the people in the Port City found out that both the ships have docked in their city, along with Albion's people. Now, which one is the truth, Mister Familiar?" She looks at me, her eyes look…a bit softer, and she's smiling for some reasons.

I nod. "It's the truth, both of them. Albion's people suddenly disappeared because one of my friends casted a cloaking spell on everyone, so nobody found out that they were escaping from the land. And since La Rochelle is the nearest stop…"

Karin closes her eyes. "I see. **You did it again, Hybrid Heart**. You always know how to give us surprise everyday." That earns confusion from the elder sisters and the servants, and surprised look from me and Louise.

Louise asks her after a full minute of silence: "Mother? How did you…"

Eleonore interrupts her: "Mother, who is this Hybrid Heart you're talking about?"

Karin opens her eyes and looks at Louise: "Your sisters **haven't met Kuro yet**?"

Louise widens her eyes even more. "No, dear Mother. He's heading to Tarbes. But why…"

Karin turns to the elder sisters, then back to us. "I suppose I owe you all an explanation, don't I?"

* * *

Rewind the time a bit, Sasha's POV

From what Siesta told us just a bit earlier, we're near her village now. On the way here, IF, Compa and Kuro have taught Siesta how to use magic. Siesta denied, at first, that she couldn't use it, but after being convinced by the three of them, she tried to concentrate, and surprisingly to me but not to the three, she did develop some power. But it's not some element spells, it just covered her body a bit and nothing else. Then, Kuro explained that her mother didn't use much of element spells, but rather empowered her strength. In the few hours, Siesta just tried a few different ways to convert her magic. And guess what, she actually blasted down a tree with her bare hands with no trouble.

It's a few hours ago. Now, IF is holding Kuro, or rather Shanghai, in her arms, while the doll looks like she's sleeping. Compa and Siesta are just admiring the scenery around them. I also wander my eyes too, but I feel a bit worried. I'm an elf, being hated by Nobles and maybe every human. Now, I'm really scared that the people from Siesta's town suddenly try to attack her. Even when Siesta said she will convince them…

"What are you thinking, Sasha?" Compa asks me.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry, Compa."

"I would say otherwise. You're scared, right?" IF is very sharp, from what I listened. She was the leader of the Resistance Force against the Corrupted Goddess back then. I can't really hide anything from her.

I have no choice but to nod. "Yes."

Siesta holds my hand. "Don't worry. My mother will help us for sure. And, with Kuro's help as well."

I smile. "I won't doubt that. But part of me won't give up that feeling."

Shanghai just hugs IF's arms closer to her, and makes some cute noise. We can't do much but to giggle at that adorableness. Seriously, nobody would think that doll is actually the strongest among us. Compa even pats her, and she even purrs.

I speak after a minute: "I wonder if he was born in the wrong body?"

Compa giggles. "Many have said so. However, he knows how to be a real man when he needs to be. Just like…" Then she blushes a bit. We all know what she's talking about.

A few moments later, we have reached the gate of the village. Kuro now has turned back to his normal self. We left the carriage and walked inside. During the travel, many kids have come and surrounded us, but most likely they're focusing on Siesta and me. Siesta being famous to the kids, and me for being an elf. The kids didn't show any fear to me, even the adults as well. I wonder why…

Then, we suddenly see some kind of bird walking towards us. It's mostly blue with a yellow beak, and it has a small pair of devil wings on its back. It wears a brown bag on its side, and a red scarf. What surprises me is that…it has a human-size.

"HEY! IT'S **PRINNY**!" Compa says excitedly and runs to it. The bird, Prinny, recognizes her, its eyes are sparkling as Compa hugs her. "How are you doing?" It squeaks in delight, probably happy that it has found someone it knows.

Kuro and IF greet it as well, as Kuro says: "Hello, Prinny. It's been a while. How are you?" It nods as a yes, then it suddenly pulls out a paper from its bag and shows it to us. There are some kind of symbols on it that we can't read, but Kuro and Siesta can.

Kuro looks at it in curiosity as he translates it. "What is this? Omae…wa…mou… oh shoot!" He cannot do anything as someone suddenly jumps over Prinny and delivers a kick right to Kuro's face, sending him back-flipping a few times before face-plants to the ground. When the person lands on the ground, we have a better view on her. She's in her 40s, with long blue hair and black eyes. She is wearing a normal housewife outfit, with apron and such, but she also has a black band on her head and black gloves covering her hands.

"SHINDEIRU! It's been a while seen I last saw you, Kuro! How have life been treating you?" The woman laughs as she says that, as the kids around…cheer for her performance. Is this a common thing here?

Kuro stands up after that. "Why?" He smiles, but his face shows that he's in some sort of pain. Probably acting though.

"Just feel like to. Also, that's for what happened back **in our world**! You're going to explain everything to me, **THE HERO OF JUSTICE**!""

* * *

 **Chapter 7 end!**

 **Alright, have to confess here, the end-of-the-semester exams and the beginning of the new semester cause me to focus to my study, so this chapter might be rusty, if you have noticed it. Sorry if you want to see a better chapter than this.**

 **I have given away too many hints, so you can guess who the Halkeginians were.**

 **The idea of 'Two weeks here equals two days there' is from Negima. You can think that in another one, I think there're many things similar to it.**

 **Yeah, I don't really have anything much to say now. See you in the next chapters!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Like before, I won't repeat anymore.**

 **This chapter will be short, and only a preparation for the next chapter. You will know why.**

 **To XInsanityXGuiltechXShadowwindX (why so long name =.=): Like I said, I gave too many clues. If you're not a weeb like me, then I will explain: big brother in Japanese is 'oni-san'. I think you know what wordplay is.**

 **To RedBurningDragon: I forgot Gandalfr is the left hand. Thanks for the reminder. About Financier...It's kind of tough. She doesn't have much of a role in every game, so it will be hard to put her into someone else.**

 **So, enjoy this chapter everyone!**

* * *

Valliere's Mansion, Saito's POV

Karin: "I suppose I owe you all an explanation, don't I? But before that…" She turns to me. "May I ask what your name is?"

"It's Saito Hiraga, or Adam in Gamindustri, Madam Karin."

She raises her eyebrows. "I'm sorry, my memories might be foggy sometimes, but I'm certain I have never heard your name before."

"That's because I'm not from your old world. I'm currently a citizen of the new Gamindustri as Kuro dubbed my world."

"A new world? What happened to my world then?"

"From what I heard from Kuro and T.O, everyone aside from his children and Histoire were killed or teleported into different universes. I think you understand what I mean."

"These killed ones, are they being…"

"The same like you and your friends, reincarnated."

Eleonore has enough of it, as she slams her hands on the table. "MOM! Why are you talking so casually to a commoner like him? He should know that…"

Karin glares at her, making her to shut her mouth. "And need I remind you to not make assumption in everything? Why do you think he's a commoner?"

Eleonore answers, this time a tone down: "Just, don't you see how he's wearing? He looks exactly like a commoner."

I snicker a bit, and she turns to me in annoyance. "What are you smiling about?" "If you know about the Princess' accident in the Capital, you would know that she was wearing commoner's clothes and nobody aside from Kuro recognized her."

Karin chuckles, and again, everyone looks at her with a surprised face. "I heard that from Marianne, and I still think it's reckless of her. But, I heard that she was protected by someone. Was it you or Kuro?"

I shake my head. "No, it's T.O. Kuro was busy…hanging out with us that time, so…"

Karin: "I see. Still the same old Kuro, I have to say." Then she realizes something. "Oh right, I forgot. You might want to take a seat." Basically every servant now is having a constant surprised face now. Is this too strange to them? Anyway, I decide to humor her request as I sit next to Louise. "Now, I suppose it's my turn to introduce myself. As you have known, my name is Karin, but in the past, I was **Wanda, the Stormbringer of Gamindustri.** I think Aqua have told you about me, yes?"

"Eh…not exactly. We only knew that you're an Elite Hunter, that's all. She said that you would only reveal yourself when we meet you directly, so…"

Karin interrupts me a bit. "How did you cure Aqua anyway? From what I heard, it seems Kuro was in Albion during the time she was cured."

I shrug. "T.O, the Water Spirit's and Death's help."

A little silence…"

Cattleya is the one to speak first: "Did I hear you right? Death? You mean the…"

"The God that controls Hell? Yes, that's her."

Karin snickers a bit, as we focus back to her. "Seriously? Her? She's an old lady, or…"

"A childish brat to be exact." I deadpan. Seriously, I was expecting Death is someone like Hades from Hercules, or at least from Percy Jackson, but this Death… Then, I was reminded that this is a crossover with Gamindustri, so I have to expect things like that to happen.

Karin now holds her laugh back a bit as she looks at Louise. "And about my youngest daughter…she said that she has improved herself…have she found out her affinity?"

"Well…Kuro actually spoiled out from the first day, but he has been training her along with her friends and the other students to fight already."

"Training, I see…By the way, what is your affinity?"

"Eh…You forgot that we don't actually have main affinities in Gamindustri, right?"

Karin seems to realize that after I speak too. "Oh right. Sorry for the stupid question."

Eleonore asks her: "Why is it a stupid question, mother? Everyone knows that each person has an affinity with an element, right?"

Karin sighs: "Eleonore, if it's in Halkeginia, then it's the truth. However, we are talking about my old world, and everyone from there can use magic of any elements. They just prefer to use what they feel comfortable with."

Cattleya asks: "Mother, what's this Gamindustri you're talking about? Is it an isolated island from the East?"

"Sorry to pop your bubbles, but Gamindustri is a completely different plane of existence." T.O, literally appeared from nowhere, is sitting right next to Cattleya, making her nearly jump up in surprise.

Eleonore instantly stands up and points her wand (Where the heck is she hiding it? Under her sleeves?) to T.O. "Who are you? How can you get in here?"

"Eleonore, sit down." Karin commands her.

"But Mother, this man…"

"Is a person I know. Sit down." The eldest sister reluctantly follows her mother's order. Karin turns to T.O. "Now, even though I'm very happy to see you, I suggest you don't do it so often. You would end up in the same situation like this."

T.O snickers and mock salutes her. "Roger, madam."

She then composes herself. "I nearly forgot. About my daughter's affinity…"

"She's a Void Mage. Yeah, I know, it's a surprise." I wave my hand before me.

"Not really actually. We haven't tried any Void spells before, and she never succeeded with the other elements, so I think that makes sense."

"Mother…" Karin turns to Eleonore. "You always tell us that Void is not possible, then why…"

Karin: "I suppose I have to give my apology about that. But, if I mentioned anything about it, the church from Romalia might… have a problem with us."

T.O: "And that's why we don't like politics, like, at all. And to add more problems, the Pope, Vittorio sent his Familiar to the Academy. Don't know yet his reasons, but I'm sure it's to look after Louise."

Karin: "Then, what do you suggest us to do?"

"Nothing, really." The Valliere family looks at me. "Right now, aside from the Elite Hunters, we also had Lyrica and Cave back, along with Linda as well. They can help us in dealing with Julio, the familiar."

Karin leans back to her chair. "I hope you know what to do." Then… "About Louise's marriage…"

T.O snickers. I instantly know what he's thinking, as I throw a fireball right into his face, which he just catches it with his bare hand. "No. You are NOT doing that now."

T.O: "Hey, come on! That's his idea, not mine!"

The family is having questions marks above them. Cattleya is the one to ask first: "Uh, what are you two talking about?"

T.O: "Well, you see…" I send another fireball to him, which he just tilts his head to dodge it, causing the servants behind him to run to avoid it. "He…" I pick up the folk and throw at him, and the result is the same. "…has the idea…" Knifes. "…to get Louise and Saito…" Ice chunks. "…to…" I swing my katana on his head, and he just summons a glyph to block it. "…marry each other."

"That's it. I'm done." I sit back down to my chair and pocket my katana back to my hammerspace, and throw my hand in the air in defeat. There's no way I can deal with the three of them without getting mental disorder.

The sisters now are resembling tomatoes, as Karin puts her hand over her mouth to hide her laugh. Then, in a fit of rage, Louise literally spams her Void fire to T.O, who now decides to be a good idea to stand up and run away from the angered girl. Her aim is nearly 100 percent accuracy as it nearly hits T.O, unfortunately T.O is not going to let it hit him. After a while, both of them run out of the room, leaving the whole dining room to be in crash. The servants, who just dodged for their lives, look around in despair. Yeah, they're not liking this, at all.

"Don't worry guys." They look at me. "The guy will return. He will fix this mess." All of them sigh in relief, as they correct their stands.

"How long have it been to see this much fun?" Karin asks out loud. "The last time I remembered was probably when the Duke de Orleans was still alive, and our families had so much fun with each other. *Sigh* It's been 10 years from it. Time runs so fast."

A little silence. Then I ask: "So, about the marriage…"

Cattleya suddenly smiles: "How about we follow this T.O's idea?"

"Hell no! I'm way too old for her to marry!"

Karin: "Too old? Wait…you're reincarnated too?"

"Yes. But I was from Earth, different one from Kuro, but still Earth. Right now, I would say I'm over a century year old now. And I even have a new family already, with my wife and my kid."

That causes Cattleya and Eleonore to hang their mouths in surprise. I have to add more. "Oh and by the way, my new age is already over 30, not 18 like this. Somehow the summoning spell de-aged me."

Karin also asks: "And you don't really love my daughter, right?"

"Yeah. I only see her as a friend. Do you have…wait, did you know Wardes is the traitor?"

Karin nods. "Yes. That's why I tried to find another Duke for her to marry. But with situation…"

"VOID SPEAR!" Louise is still trying to kill T.O, with little effort so far.

"I don't think I have to scare about her being useless anymore. I have you and T.O to thank for that."

"Don't forget Kuro like that. He's the first one to get pulled into here, and he's trying his best to unite this world."

"Of course."

I suddenly remember. "By the way, how did you and the Zerbst get along with each other? From what I remembered from Louise, your families had an affair with each other, right?"

Cattleya and Eleonore suddenly have interest in this. Cattleya asks her: "Can you tell us the story?"

Eleonore follows: "Is there a good story for it?"

Karin shakes her head. "Not really. I just slapped his face and then we became friends."

…

…

…

"WHAT?" All three of us shout in shock. How could a simple slap to the face can actually fix a relationship? There has to be a backstory for that.

"Wait, wait, wait…Madam Karin, there has to be something behind that slap, right?"

Karin shakes her head again. "No. **Ifrit** just was too annoyed to me when he tried to get me on a date, that I decided to slap him."

I slam my head to the table in defeat. If she IS indeed Kuro's friend…

Wait, Ifrit? Isn't he an Elite Hunter too? We're talking about the relationship between the Valliere and the Zerbst, then why was a citizen from Kuro's old world involved in this? Unless…

I turn my head, which is still on the table, and look at Wanda. "So, Kirche's father was also a Gamindustrian?" She nods. I'm seeing a trend here: It seems all reincarnated people here are parents of someone here. Aqua is Charlotte's mother, Wanda is Louise's, and now Ifrit is Kirche's. The last one, Terry, is currently unknown. But…their names are a big give-away. Aqua is literally Water, Wanda is Wind, Ifrit is to call a Fire creature, then **Terry** is possibly **Earth**. Then, the last one is… Is it possible that Kuro knew before? Maybe not.

Eleonore asks her mother: "But then, why did a slap can fix our relation with their family like that?"

Karin smiles: "We didn't know that the other was reincarnated actually. Only after that slap, then Ifrit just said that he remembered a girl before who did the same thing to him. And after his explanation, we realized that we're friends before, and decided to forbid the hatred towards each other from our old generations."

Why do I get to hear strange stuffs like this when I'm around with Kuro?

"Because we're trouble-magnets, that's why." T.O walks back into the dining room, based on the footsteps and his voice. I turn my head towards him, and on his back is Louise, who looks like she just wasted all of her magic for nothing, because T.O looks nowhere near exhausted. He walks to me and looks at Karin. "I have fixed the backyard already. And…" He waves his right hand, and all of the crashes in the room disappear. "…in this room too. So don't need to call any fixers."

Wanda waves her hand. "I know. Now, we should finish our dinner before hitting the bed. And I'm not forgetting you, T.O, even when you don't need it anymore. You're my guest after all."

* * *

Let's jump back to Kuro, shall we?

Damn, the girl still can hit hard, even in this world. Well, it's Nisa we're talking about. To be a self-claimed Hero of Justice, she has trained herself a lot, even more after the other Goddesses were gone. And…while I admire your work to give her something for her to not complain about, why D?

She's kind of like IF, so…

'And you didn't help IF because…'

She has you, right?

'That's… a lame excuse.'

Don't you agree that she would be happy if you AND Compa are the ones to help her with it?

'Dude…*Sigh* I hate to admit, but you're right on that one. But, I'm talking about why you gave her a D, and not more?'

You forgot that even Vert sometimes complained about them too?

'Ah, yeah, right…Back pains…'

IF looks at Nisa questionably, having doubts of who she was. "Uh, are you…Nisa?"

She, along with Compa, gets hugged by Nisa after that. "Of course it's me, my friends! It's a long time since I met you girls! How have you been so far? Is Kuro still treating you well? If not, I can beat him up for you two!" After that, just girl's talk…

I walk to Sasha while rubbing my face from the kick. She asks me: "It didn't hurt, right?" I shake my head. "Then why the pain expression?" "Comedy reason, that's all." She decides not to ask anymore.

Siesta apologizes to me: "I'm sorry for my mother, Kuro. She tenses to do so a lot."

"Not without a good reason. I know her, and I deserved that kick. Doesn't mean I was expecting that to happen."

Sasha: "What are you going to do now?"

"Eh… Probably waiting for their bonding time to finish. I don't want to interrupt them."

Then she asks Siesta: "People don't really show any different actions when they see me…Can you explain why?"

Siesta thinks a bit. "I think…it's because of my mother's convincing everyone about you all." The two of us look at her. "She said that everyone always has their good and bad sides, and currently everyone is just looking at the elves' bad ones. She said that we should think twice before accusing of anything."

"That sounds like something I would say alright. I mean, I could even convince the whole ASIC to turn good, so I'm not surprised if Nisa could do the same thing."

"YOU THREE!" Nisa shouts at us, as she's hugging IF with her face in Nisa's chest. "We're returning back to my house now. Siesta, let's prepare some tea for our guests!"

* * *

A while later

Right now, we're inside Siesta's house, specifically in the living room. Nisa has a very good reputation to village, and she's assigned to be the leader of the protect guards of this place. I won't expect less from her. But then…

"Why did you let your daughter work in the Academy as a maid, Nisa?"

Nisa: "It's her own desire. Besides, not everyone can ask to work there. I and the Headmaster had some business with each other before, that's why I could ask for her a place there."

"Why do I feel like there's another reason for him to accept Siesta?"

Nisa laughs at my statement. "That's what I thought too. However, even when he's an old pervert geezer, he's also a Headmaster, and he needs to take care of his Academy and makes it as good as possible. He won't just randomly pick a person for a job…"

"Say that when he got Linda as his secretary…" I deadpan. We all know what would happen if I didn't stop her.

She laughs even more. "Yeah, I know. But, Linda is actually good at that, right?" I have no choice but to nod. Combining with my help before, Linda is now a good person, and she also has Tiffania to take care of, unlike before.

IF suddenly asks: "Nisa, when did you regain your memories?"

Nisa puts her finger under the chin. "Hmm…I think it's when I started heading to the airplane my grandfather left here. I think I was 18 back then."

Compa asks in surprise: "Airplane? Your grandfather could build one?"

Nisa shakes her head. "No, my grandfather was actually from Earth, like Kuro. However, I think he was in the different era."

Siesta asks her mother: "So, the Dragon is not a hoax?"

Nisa: "No, it's real. And it's like he said before: It could fly like a dragon. The problem was that the plane ran out of fuel, so it won't work anymore. But…" She looks at me. "I think you can make it work, even without energy, right?" I nod.

Oh, nearly forgot. "Where's your husband? I didn't see him around."

She suddenly smirks: "Do you think **they** care?"

"Eh, not so sure." I shrug. Nisa also knows about my condition.

Sasha asks her: "Can you use your hammerspace?" Nisa looks at her. "I heard from Kuro that you have something like a bottomless bag, right? And it's invisible too."

Nisa looks at me for an explanation. "That's the abridged version, okay? She's from 6000 years ago, things like that won't be easy to explain to her."

Nisa tilts her head: "6000 years ago?"

Sasha sighs: "I'm Brimir's first familiar, and the one who killed him and ignited the war between the human and the elves."

Nisa is silent for a bit. Then… "So, Brimir is bad then…"

Sasha blinks. "Why do you get to that conclusion?"

"Kuro would NEVER be friends with anyone who has bad intentions. You killed Brimir, so? If you killed him just because of some ridiculous reasons, then you would have not been here. You killed him for a good reason, that's why Kuro saved you by getting you to this future. Am I right?"

Sasha is surprised by how Nisa could head to that explanation. Then she answers: "Yes. Brimir was planning to wipe out the elves since he thought they're better than him, and he didn't like it, and…"

Nisa holds her hand up to stop Sasha. "That's enough. You had done the right thing. If you didn't stop him, then he would eliminate your whole race. I didn't say it's a good action, but you didn't have any choices there."

Derf picks this moment to speak up. "That's right, Sasha. Don't dwell into it anymore. What happened happened, you couldn't change it anymore. Right now, we should focus on fixing it in this time."

Nisa blinks at the sudden speak from the sword. "Is it…a sentient sword?"

Sasha pulls him out of the scabbard. "This is Derflinger, or Derf for short. He is a spirit living inside the sword."

Nisa: "May I see him?" Sasha nods and gives Derf to her. "Hmm… a very good sword… very balanced…but…it's breaking down." Nisa looks back to the owner. "You recognized that, right?"

She nods. "I did. But, I don't really trust anyone to build a new weapon for him…"

"Then, why don't you go with me to the blacksmith? I can help you build a new sword with my materials."

Sasha tilts her head. "Your materials?"

She nods. "Yeah. I stored a lot of materials to create weapons in my bag. We can use them."

Sasha: "I…thank you, but… I don't want to be a burden…"

Nisa smiles: "Nonsense. You're Kuro's friend, so you're my friend too. Don't be shy about that." Sasha can do nothing but to nod. "Alright! After we finish our tea, we can visit the plane, and then build a new weapon for Derf! Who's excited?"

If you didn't understand the time: The events in Tarbes happened at daylight, while the events in Valliere's territory were the same in the anime.

* * *

Gamindustri, Schwarz's POV

To my father, the world is going as well as he thinks. To us, it's screwed up.

At the end of the festival, the four Goddesses were defeated by a group called themselves 'The Gold Third'. After that, a bright light occurred, and before I and Weiss realized what's going on, we found ourselves already in the Research Land, along with Linda and a few members of ASIC. When we checked on the mother core of the land, we found out that: nearly all of the citizens have forgotten their CPUs. Only a very few could remember, due to their full loyalty to them. At that moment, we thought that the Gold Third were the bad guys and we need to defeat them. However, we weren't allowed to do so, and only a few weeks later we knew why: the Makers were already helping the Goddesses, along with the former CFWs and even helpers from the other world. Also, the Gold Third was actually not bad guys: They just got the wrong information and thought that the world was going to end badly. After that, the CPUs regained back their control, and the Gold Third was also rewarded as heroes for protecting their nations. In this point, the Research Land deactivated the cloak and started working back like usual. We thought the storm has come through. But no, fate had another plan in mind. A few days of peace passed, and a portal appeared in Planeptune's land. We have planned to check it today, however, the Goddesses have sneaked out in the previous night to check it themselves. The Candidates of Planeptune and Lastation have followed them in silence as well. And guess what? It led to this morning of argument…

"WHAT? Uzume kidnapped our Sisters? Why would she do that? I thought she's your friend?" Ram shouts to Nepgear in her angry voice. In the meeting room of Research Land, the Candidates, I and Weiss, The Oracles, the leaders of ASIC are discussing about how to get the Goddesses back. Our Histoire and Arfoire are trying to find out where the gate is leading to, since we had some doubts. And that's how the conversation started.

"I thought so as well, but… I felt this Uzume sounded a bit…odd…" Nepgear is also having doubts about the Uzume she and Uni met.

"I don't care! It's in the past now! Now we have to come up with a plan to save them!" Chika is obviously furious that her 'big sister' has been kidnapped, again.

"Chika, calm down. Don't be so hyped up about it." Emerald is trying to talk some senses to Chika. "Shouting like that won't help us at all." Chika wants to talk back, but Emerald is like a mini version of Vert herself, so Chika can't do anything but to follow her advice.

Mina asks: "But then, why don't we go in the portal by ourselves? It is still up, right?"

Kei disagrees: "Unfortunately the Goddesses has created a barricade of bricks to stop the monsters from the other side to get here. It's a good action, but because of that, we couldn't get through."

Brave continues: "And if we destroy the barricade, the monsters will surely come through, and we can't let that happen."

I ask: "Histy, can you open up another portal, like the one you did with Ultradimension?"

She shakes her head. "With the world is in chaos, we cannot gather enough Share to open up the portal alone. But…" She pulls out a console. This one, along with three other items, was being collected by the Affimax for some reasons. "With this, and the current Share, I can create a small one for us to pass through."

"Then, what are you waiting for?" Weiss asks her, clearly confused because it should have been done even before the conversation.

Magic answers: "Do you think your group can beat the Dark CPU? Nepgear, the two Neptunes and the 'good' Uzume were barely able to beat it, WITH the assistance of the Sharing Field. Without it, we have no chance to fight the thing."

We then go silent and think of our next move. During the time, I try to think what my father would do if things go like this. My mind wanders to our last conversation with our parents…

"Wait…" I speak. Everyone now look at me. I look back at Weiss. "Do you remember our last conversation with our parents?" "Yes, why?" "He warned us about someone called 'Kurome'. Did that name ring a bell, everyone?"

Rom answers: "No…I haven't heard about anyone with that name…" Everyone is the same.

Uzume…Kurome…Kuro is our father's name, and it's based on…Did father really…

"Weiss, I think I found out the picture here."

Weiss: "Really? What is it?"

"The Uzume Uni and Nepgear met before is not actually the same one Nepgear and Neptune met. She could be an imposter, or…" I pause. "…a dark personality of the real Uzume."

Uni has doubts about it. "How can you be so sure? It could be that the first Uzume was pretended to be innocent, and now she decided to attack us."

I shake my head. "I don't think so. According to Neptune and Nepgear, my father talked with Uzume with friendliness. If your theory is right, then my father would have warned 'Don't trust Uzume', not 'Don't trust Kurome'."

Nepgear sighs in relief: "So that's not Uzme, thanks goodness…"

Uni: "Don't be so sure. They're just theories. We need more proof for it."

"The portal leads to Zero Dimension." Arfoire speaks, as she and Histoire walk to us. "The monsters haven't gone through yet, but the barricade won't last forever."

Histoire: "We need to go to Zero Dimension as soon as possible. Do you have any ideas?"

Histy nods. "We have this console to open the portal, so…"

"Wait a second." Brave interrupts her. "We should ask for the Gold Third's help as well. The more people we have, the better chance to get the CPUs back."

We nod in agreement. I speak: "We can also get my father's citizens' help as well, if they agree to. And possibly they will."

* * *

And how right I was. After our meeting, we separated to find out help. The Gold Third agreed with the Candidates, but not without a fight to re-check their power. From our side, all four of the old Makers, as our father said about their references, agreed to help. Broccoli's power, even though she's very helpful, we cannot guarantee to protect her every time in battle, and we didn't ask Falcom since it would upset Adam. When we have gathered back, Histy opened a portal for us to walk through and enter Zero Dimension.

We followed Nepgear as she led us to places where Uzume could have been. So far, no traces of her yet. We went around a bit to find her, then…

"HEY! Gearsy! It's been a while! How are you doing?" Uzume is walking towards us now, happiness being written on her face. And it changes to scared and confusion when Uni points her gun to her. "Don't move! Where's Noire? And the other CPUs? Where have you taken them too?"

Uzume: "Noire? And the CPUs? I have never met them after my first meet with Nepsy! Gearsy, what's going on?"

"…" Nepgear doesn't speak anything. She's clearly thinking how to speak with her in this situation.

Before things get out of hands, I decide to speak first: "Uzume, when's the last time you met Neptune?"

Uzume: "Nepsy? When we fought against the Dark CPU, of course!"

"And do you know how to get to our world?"

"If I know to, I would have hopped to your world to hang out with you already!"

I look at the Candidates and see that they're not believing Uzume's words. I decide to continue my questions: "Do you know anyone who has the name Kurome?"

"I would say I haven't. The only human-like people I have seen so far are Nepsy, Gearsy, and the Kuro guys with his pals. Other than that, no one else."

"Then, did you know the Dark CPU has comeback?"

"WHAT?" She shouts this time. "That thing has comeback? So they're not rumors anymore."

"Rumors? Someone have seen it?"

"Some Baby Bugs saw them and spoke to us. Though, at first we thought they're just hallucinating. But after that, even more and more reported the same thing. And they also said there was a person with that thing too, though they cannot see who that person was clearly."

"So it's the imposter, after all." Ram whispers, and Rom nods in agreement. Uni has brought her gun down. Looks like one thing went down well. Now…

"Uzume…So you're here…I have returned from the survey…Oh, so many guests of yours…" A manly voice speaks, as we turn to the source to see…I'm SO going to have nightmares tonight…

* * *

After that, we went to Uzume's nearest base to continue our conversation. Apparently this…human-fish…is called Umio, and he's with Uzume since she woke up. And she has the same case of amnesia with Neptune as well. After some more talking, we headed to where the Dark CPU supposedly is. Based on what Uzume and Umio have told us, that place is nothing but Void…I wonder if we can have another conversation with our parents there…

"What are you thinking, Schwarz?" CC2 is the one asking me that.

"It's nothing. I just wondered if we could talk more with our moms."

Marvy is surprised: "Moms? So Kuro found IF and Compa? How are they doing?"

Weiss smiles and nods. "Yes, they're okay. But they needed to be filled up with details, since they missed a lot after the Last Battle."

Red suddenly has a mischievous smile: "Have they found out about…"

Weiss snickers: "I dropped a hint for my mothers, and the Creator told us they have made him to do so."

Tekken: "Isn't that…a bit brutal to Kuro? I mean, he's too innocent to…"

"I wouldn't call my father innocent. He was just too shy for that stuff." Ain't that the truth?

"What are you all talking about?" Uzume overheard our conversation, and asks us about it now.

Weiss waves her hand before her face. "It's nothing so important."

"Just us wanting to speak with my parents."

Uzume nods. "I see. But, parents? I did see Kuro before, but there's…"

"It's the time when our father hasn't found our mothers yet."

"Oh? May I ask how they look like?" Then suddenly Uzume has a dreamy face, and her voice changes… drastically. "Uzume hopes that they're as cool as I am. Uzume really wants to see even more friends of yours!" That…creeps me out. I don't think someone like Uzume would pull out something like that.

"Uzume, your voice…" Umio is the one who spoke that. Uzume then realizes, and returns back to her normal self. "So, yeah, how do they look like?"

Weiss snickers a bit. "Why don't you ask IF and Compa? They can give you the answer."

Uzume has a question mark above her head. "Huh? Why?"

"Just ask, you will know why." Uzume is still confused, but does it anyway.

Umio looks at us. "What are you trying to achieve here?"

"You will see, Umio. You will see…"

After that, Uzume just went haywire from the truth she just heard. She is nearly in her dreamy mode all the time because of that.

* * *

We now have reached the end of the road.

Umio: "This is the end. We can't walk any further." We are looking at the empty space before us. Like what Umio said, normal human cannot walk forwards anymore, since there's nowhere to go. But that further proves our point about where the CPUs are now. The opponent has to make sure we couldn't reach CPUs and save them.

Suddenly, the area starts shaking, causing all of us to fall on the ground. About a full minute later, it stops.

Uni is the first to speak: "That's quite a shocking moment. What is that?"

Uzume, already snapped out of her dreamy mode before, answers: "It happened now and then a few times before you came. And for the reason…" She shows us the Visual Radio on her wrist. "Take a look at this." Nepgear looks at the numbers on it. "These numbers…" "Are dimensional coordinates. They have changed a lot during the past few months."

"Are you sure? These numbers never change in normal conditions. Unless…"

"Yeah, it may relate to why the Dark CPU is here. But, I highly doubt it can do on its own."

B-Sha suddenly says: "Come to think of it, this place looks strikingly similar to Planeptune. Do you know the name of this nation, Uzume?"

Uzume says apologetically: "I honest don't know. Even though my memories are returning, that information hasn't shown up yet. But, if I could choose, maybe I would have chosen the name too."

C-Sha: "Now you said it, some of the scenes here looked like some pictures in Planeptune's history book."

S-Sha and K-Sha are not saying a word. From their faces, S-Sha is probably 'not interested', and K-Sha is worried for her 'girlfriend'.

"And what if I said the name of this nation was truly Planeptune?" An unknown voice speaks up, and we turn our heads to the person. This person looks exactly like Uzume, except this girl is black from head to toe. My father wouldn't come up with the name Kurome that easy. Who did it first Creator? Neptune, who else? Of course.

Uzume is the person being surprised the most. "That look…You're…me?"

"YOO-HOO! Hello everyone! How is everyone doing?" From behind Kurome, a girl who looks like an older version of Neptune speaks. This is probably the big Neptune the Planeptune's CPUs have talked about.

Nepgear says in her surprise: "Neptune, why are you here?"

Big Neptune: "Long time no see, Nepgear! You're doing well, right?" Everyone right now is already pulling out their weapons and points them to the duo.

Uzume shakes her head to focus back: "Look, right now I don't care who you are, but don't try to mess with me. Planeptune is the name of Gearsy's nation name, and it's…"

"Believe me or not, your choice. But, when your memories return, you will know that I'm stating the fact now." Kurome's voice is a bit too calm and collected, probably thinking she is above all of us. Well, she is not, and she will never be.

"Fact and all, but why are you here? I thought you're busying with the CPUs, Kurome."

The girl looks at me. "Kurome? I think you're mistaking me with someone else. If you haven't noticed yet, I'm Uzume as well."

I deadpan a bit. "Tell that to Neptune." Kurome looks at this Neptune. "She's the one who came up with the name."

Kurome asks Neptune: "You did it?" Neptune smiles, a bit nervously. "Well, you're Uzume, but your clothes are black, so, I dubbed you Kurome."

Kurome does nothing but chuckle. "Well, it's not a bad name actually. And it would help in avoiding confusion when both of us around." She then turns to me. "As for your question: I'm here to give you some information about your finding, including the changed coordinates."

I raise my eyebrows. Is she that cocky? "I don't mind exchanging words, but you surely would know we would turn them against you."

Kurome stills keeps her smile up. "You would do so. Doesn't mean you can turn them against me." She probably thinks we're so weak. "Now, if you check the coordinates, you would know that the coordinates start becoming the same with Hyperdimension."

Nepgear looks at them, and widens her eyes. "It's…the truth. Are you trying to combine the two dimensions with each other?"

Kurome: "Of course. Who else?"

Weiss asks, a bit angrily: "Why did you do that? You obviously know what happened if you did so…"

Kurome: "Of course. Hyperdimension will turn into Zero Dimension. It's easy. For what reasons…you have to find out for yourself. Now, Gearsy…" She puts her hand towards Nepgear: "Please give me the console you're holding."

I narrow my eyes. "Why would you need that anyway? It's just a console…" I stop there. It's not that simple, isn't it?

IF holds Nepgear's arm and speaks to Kurome: "I take it, you're the one controlling Affimojas and the Gold Third, aren't you?"

Kurome: "Of course. As expected of the Planeptune's Guild Agent." So she controlled him and the girls to collect a console…sound stupid, but the console has to have some connection with her.

"Nepgear, give me the console." I command Nepgear, she complies and gives it to me, and I examine it. Upon having a closer look, aside from being a very old looking console, I don't see any other problems with it. Except the mark that looks exactly like the one on Uzume's tie. Maybe…

Kurome: "Now, young man, I'm not sure what you're doing, but give it to me…" I instantly pull the trigger of the Barrett, just miss a few centimeters to her left. She stops, and her smile falters a bit.

"No way we're giving it to you. I'm appreciated you gave us a lot of information. Doesn't mean we will do something for you to destroy both the world."

"I see." She puts her arm back. "I have time. I will come back and take it later. Neptune, let's go." A black portal appears behind the duo, as they start walking to it.

"WAIT!" They turn to Nepgear. "Why are you kidnapping our sisters? Please return them to us now!"

"Sorry, but only time will tell. And they're doing very well." Your voice gives us the opposite idea, Kurome.

"Everyone…" Uni speaks up. "Let's follow them. We cannot let them get away." Everyone nods and runs after the bad girls, hoping to find and rescue the Goddesses.

* * *

Halkeginia, Valliere's Mansion, the next day, Adam's POV

We're now sitting in the balcony, drinking tea. We don't really have plans to do, so we just enjoy the peaceful moments around here.

"You're saying there's another world?" And we have the Duke de Valliere with us now. And he sounds like he's not believing at all. "And this man is supposed to be older than me? What a joke!" Try to convince yourself with that, man.

Karin, now putting up her stoic face, speaks: "That's the truth. And I would not joke about something like that, you know it right?"

"But, look at him! His clothes are just like a commoner's. Well, except they're cleaner, but still! What if his stories are just made-up?"

"I can confirm that. And his stories matched with what I knew before."

"Then, about Louise's marriage…"

"It won't be our concern anymore…"

Cattleya is smiling throughout the whole conversation, Eleonore just focuses on her cup of tea. Louise does the same with her eldest sister, but her face shows discomfort. I am not touching my cup yet. I don't feel like drinking after those words from the Duke. *Sigh* Hope Kuro is having better time than me.

"How about I fight him? I expect him to go down with one spell from me."

"Not working. If he can actually fight against Kuro, then you stand no chance against him."

"Oh come on, Karin! Don't let me down like that! Also, who is this Kuro anyway?"

"A guy who you wouldn't cross path if he's angry."

And it goes on for a while. Seriously, what can…

My N-Gear rings. All of them now look at me, as I pull it out and put it on the table. A screen appears on the air, and…while I'm expecting Kuro and his wives to be on the other side, I see Falcom instead, with my kid sitting with her on the chair.

I smile. It's been a while since I last saw them. "Hello, Falcom. How is my wife and my son doing?"

Hiro waves his hand excitedly: "We're doing great! Mom even taught me how to use a knife!"

Falcom explains: "We had a small walk inside the forest, and taught him some survival skills." I nod. That's reasonable. If that sentence got out of context, Falcom might get arrested.

Falcom asks me: "So, this is your old self look like? You have quite a good look. Having anyone fallen for you yet?" She giggles and I sigh. She's very open-minded about it, and she won't do anything if I get another girl. But she made me promise to take care of her as good as I take care of them, and I agree. And her point got even more supported with Kuro being with two wives at once.

Karin looks at the screen and sees a familiar face: "Falcom, is that you?"

Falcom tilts her head in confusion. "Eh, madam? I think this is the first time we met. May I ask you are…"

Karin: "Oh, right. Sorry. My name is Karin Desiree de Valliere, but I was Wanda in Kuro's world."

Falcom: "Oh, you're from the old world?"

Karin: "Yes. And…Antonie, you want to introduce yourself?"

He is too amazed to notice his wife is calling for him, until she pokes his face. He snaps out of it and starts introducing: "Oh, right. Sorry. My name is Antonie Hendrick de Valliere. And your name is Falcom, lady?"

My wife nods. "Yes. And, from what I'm seeing here, the three girls are your daughters, right?"

The older sisters are speechless, so Louise has to answer her. "Yes, we are. My name is Louise, the one with blonde hair is my eldest sister, Eleonore, and the girl with pink hair is my middle sister, Cattleya. Nice to meet you two."

Hiro waves his hand to her: "Nice to meet you Big Sis! My name is Hiro, I'm father's son!"

Louise giggles at his adorableness: "Nice to meet you too Hiro."

I smile, they get along pretty well. I ask Falcom: "When were you able to call me?"

"Just recently. I asked T.O to get a call to you, so he allowed me. I want to speak more about your travel but…" She suddenly changes her tone to seriousness. "We have a problem here." That sends alarm to me and Karin. It can't be good. "We just found out the Goddesses are kidnapped. Their sisters, Kuro's children are making moves to save them. The Gold Third is following them, and the ASIC has spread their members to protect Gamindustri. When will you come back?"

"Give us three more days. We will return." Surprisingly, another screen appears and this time Kuro is on the other side of that screen. "We need to make sure this world's war doesn't start before our comeback."

Falcom: "War, huh? Which kind?"

Kuro: "The kind that will fill with blood. Don't worry, Falcom, I got this." Falcom nods, then talks to me: "Adam, I'm going to cut short the call now. See you later." "See you later, Father!" Hiro waves at me, and I wave back, as the screen turns off. Now, only Kuro's screen remains.

Kuro: "Adam, get Louise and Karin ready. We need their helps for this."

Karin interrupts: "Kuro, do you remember who I am?"

"Wanda, correct?" That instant answer makes Karin surprised. "I would never forget you and your friends, especially after that day… We will talk later. Can you help us?" "Of course. Can't wait to return to a better world." He nods, then looks at Louise. "Louise, use the World Door spell to get to the Academy instantly. I will fill in the plan with the others as well." She nods. "That's it. We will see you all later." Then, his screen turns off.

Us three are about to stand up, when Antonie suddenly asks: "What did you three just talk about? And Goddesses? Actual Goddesses? Is that a joke of some kind? And why did that person call you Wanda?"

Karin turns back to her command mode: "It's something I will discuss once I come back. Now, Cattleya and Eleonore…" "Yes, mother?" "I want you to protect our territory with your father. I will go out for a while. If your father wants to know, just answer him, okay?" They nod. Karin then walks away with Louise to prepare to go.

I stand there a bit, then look at the Duke, who has a surprise look on their faces. "Don't worry. We will explain…"

"That's not my concern." He interrupts me. Then he sighs. "I guess I can't do anything else but to listen to her. She knows what she is doing." Then, he looks at me. "I have one request: if you're my daughter's familiar, then, better be sure you come back with her, **unharmed**. Or else." A father's concern to his child, I understand. "Of course. You can believe in me."

* * *

Later, Tristain's Academy of Magic, Third Person's POV

"Okay, this is problematic." Kuro mumbles to himself. The whole party is gathering around the 'broken yard', as multiple screens are floating around. One of them is showing the ruined map of Zero Dimension, one more is showing Heart Dimension, and one Hyperdimension. Many others are data of multiple things, not really much of a concern to you. "My kids will be able to snap the corrupted Goddesses out of the control of Kurome, but what next? Separating forces to protect both places at once…And who should I take back to Gamindustri? We need Aqua, Saito and Wanda to increase the defense of Hyperdimension, Louise to deflect the Void, but the others also want to fight…And this world also needs protection as well…This is not good…"

"Kuro…" Saito speaks up. "We will split our force later. Right now, give us some bad events that you know, so that we could find a way to avoid it."

Kuro nods. "Yes. There's one. You see the gold crystal here?" He points to the crystal on Heart Dimension map, and people nod. "Later, Nepgear will shoot it down, to prevent Kurome from being more powerful. At this point, IF all the gangs leave Heart Dimension without Uzume, we will lose her forever. Now, we need to make them turn back, halfway, and rescue Uzume as well. I have a plan for that, so it's not very hard to do. But, the other problem is the Void. As long as the Dark CPUs are still in the Void, they could come back anytime. Now, we need Louise for this: Brimir has created a spell called Dispel, but it would take a lot of time to prepare. During that time Louise is vulnerable, and we have to protect her." He then points to the portal on Hyperdimension map. "This is the connection between Hyperdimension and Zero Dimension. As long as it's still up, there's still a chance for the monsters to come through and destroy everyone. The barricade, which is only tons of brick, will fall at any moment. We have to add more protection there."

Karin interrupts: "How long do you need to protect the portal?"

Kuro: "Maybe a few hours. Wait…" He stops to think, then… "Yeah, few hours at best. We're heading straight to Zero Dimension, and we will attack the monsters from that side. So, we need a bit less force than I first expected to put in Hyperdimension." He then thinks even more…

Aqua: "How strong is this Gamindustri's force? And the threat? Is this one the same with…"

Kuro: "Worse. This one's threat is in dimensional level."

IF asks him: "Are you going to use your army as well?"

Kuro: "I'm not looking towards it. It's better to not use them. You know why…"

Compa: "Have you decided who you would take with you?"

Kuro: "You two will come with me, that's an absolute. Adam and Louise, Aqua and Wanda… Lyrica, Cave, you want to return back?"

Cave surprisingly answers: "Maybe in the future, but not now. You said this world needs protection, right? Also, Lyrica is still currently Henrietta's familiar, so I don't think she should go now."

Kuro nods. "I understand. Of course, I won't force you to choose. It's your choice. Okay, now, maybe Charlotte and Kirche will come with me as well… Malthida, how confident are you when it comes to stopping Julio from hurting Tiffania and Sasha?"

Malthida: "I got my hammerspace back, so he won't stand a chance against me, even if he uses his rune."

Kuro: "His rune won't do anything to you."

Derf suddenly asks: "Why don't you bring Sasha with you? She would be very helpful."

Kuro: "This is our universe's problems, not yours. Of course, I would bring you with us, but it would make the Academy vulnerable."

Tiffania: "What about the Metal Dragon?"

Kuro: "I left it to Colbert. He would make it more useful than I would. Besides, it won't help us fighting the Dark CPUs. Any more questions?" No one speaks anymore. Kuro takes it and closes all of the screens, then opens a portal. "Then let's go. We don't have much time left."

* * *

 **Chapter 8 end!**

 **Somehow, I said this chapter is short, but it still reaches nearly 9k words, what the heck?**

 **So yeah, you know what will happen in the next chapter.**

 **Don't know what to say anymore. I will see you all in the next chapters!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I only own my stories and my OCs (including SI). Everything else belongs to their respective owners.**

 **Chapter 9 is out, and it's NOT my first expectation. You will see why in the end.**

 **To Guest: Wow, my first guest review, and it's like that. I have to use Google Translate to see what you're trying to say to me. (It detects the language as Spanish, hope it's true). If I read it right, then I have two opposite answers for you.**

 **On one side, if you mean your words truly, then I apologize about my story. You can go away, and stop reading the story, I won't force you. Different people with different tastes, no hard feeling. But, you might want to use more polite words, the words hit me pretty hard.**

 **On the other side, I feel like you're trolling me. You read my story, so you know you have no reasons to use a different language to review my story. And even if you don't have enough English to write one, then you're a coward when you tried to stay anonymous to insult me. I can accept critics, but not insults like yours. Next time, if there's one, use your name or your account to insult me, I will happily accept it. In the meantime, goodbye.**

 **And if my assumption is wrong, and the translate is wrong, then you can send me a translated version of yours. Don't write down if my guess is right.**

 **To RedBurningDragon: I did mention Kirche's father in the first chapter. I think you might have skipped it. Also, it's a hilarious scene to see Julio getting tied up, but then who would do so?**

 **With nothing else to say, enjoy this chapter everyone!**

* * *

Gamindustri, Schwarz's POV

We really need our father now…

After chasing the duo to a portal, they walked into it, but not without throwing another bunch of monsters at us. We had thought we lost our chance to follow them, but after we defeated them, the portal was still there, so we wasted no time and ran into it, and it led us to another dimension, which we could see tons of floating areas around with very few solid ground to walk on. And there's a big yellow crystal in the middle, which radiated a lot of energy that's similar to Share, from what my sister told us how she felt. We decided to go near it and checked the dungeon nearby. And…we found Big Neptune being chased by this world's Arfoire, who's blasting spells to the poor Neptune. Even though she was in the enemy side, which was our current thought, we hated Arfoire even more, so we helped Neptune defeat the wicked witch. But, when we thought she would just go down, Arfoire actually turned into nothing. Confused at that, we asked Neptune what happened, and this was her answer: Arfoire was resurrected by Kurome, but she's only the delusion of her own past. And the reason the portal was opened because of Neptune herself, and Kurome found out and sent Arfoire to kill her. We decided to forgive Neptune, and returned back for a while to rest. Then the Candidates went around and investigated, and then returned to tell about the CPU's deepest desires. To be honest, it's a bit of surprise. But, considering their personalities, I think it's correct in every way.

Then, we followed Neptune to find Kurome AND Croire with her. And about some shouting from us, Kurome showed us something that we never wanted to see: All of the CPUs were corrupted, their eyes were covered in complete black. Luckily, this corrupted versions of them somehow were weaker than their originals, but still, we had to use nearly all of our power to at least weaken them more for Uzume to use her 'dream power' to create a Share Crystal and snap the CPUs out of the darkness. Then, Uzume turned into her HDD, Orange Heart, and used Sharing Field to assist us in defeating the Dark Green, as we found out there were more than just the first Dark CPU, Dark Purple. After we defeated it, and about to do the same to Kurome and Croire, the former just dropped some shocking information to us, and copies of the Goddesses to fight us and then walked into another portal. Croire stayed behind for some reasons.

Now, we had to separate. I, the Goddesses, big Neptune and Umio, old Makers and the DLC Characters 'are you being lazy here?' Maybe…but I think they're too obvious already stayed behind to deal with them, and more problems, while the others brought the crystal Uzume just made to deal with the Dark Black in Hyperdimension. After we defeated the copies, Croire just told us even more disturbing matters, and this time, we had an extremely hard time to deal with. Apparently if we saved Hyperdimension, Uzume would be gone, but if we didn't do anything, then Hyperdimension would be the same as our old world. Then, Uzume just ran away, and we had to follow her. When she stopped in an empty place, we kept a good distance from her, and Umio walked to her alone to talk with her.

And, after a shenanigan created by both Neptune and the Goddesses, we headed back to the first portal, where the others had already waiting for us. Then we headed straight to Kurome, and attempted to take her down instantly. 'Attempted' was the keyword. When we reached her, she summoned all of the fallen Dark CPUs, and then merged herself with them, creating one Dark Orange. Of course, you know that, with Sharing Field from Uzume and the power of the 'plot', we defeated Dark Orange as well. But then, Kurome had ordered all of the monsters to start heading to the portal that led to Hyperdimension. With the two dimensions being collapsed to each other as well. And then…

This happened…

"Gearsy, I need you to destroy the Share Crystal." This one order was never on my to-do list, and it has a good reason for it.

"ARE YOU CRAZY? You know what happened when the Crystal broke, right? You will die!"

"Yes, I'm very aware of that. But it's the only way…"

"THAT'S NOT THE ONLY WAY! We can prevent the monsters AND the collapse together! Just go with us!"

Nepgear is crying right now. "But…but…why me…"

Uzume: "Your weapon is the only one that can reach it and has enough power to break it. And Gearsy…you have been with me from the beginning, and I want you to be with me till the end. Do you understand?"

Nepgear, sad and hesitate, nods. She then turns into her HDD form, and points her weapon to the big crystal. But, with the amount of pressure and sadness overwhelming her, she drops the weapon and herself to the ground. "No…No…I can't do it…I can't shoot…"

"Nepgear…" Uni walks to her. "Do it. You know the reason she chose you to do so, right?" Nepgear looks at her eyes. "You're her Junior. It may haunt you later, but…you know Uzume will go in peace, knowing you fulfilled her last request." Nepgear then bursts out in tears, and cries out loud.

"Gearsy, now!" "NO! I CAN'T!"

"This is not something I'm proud of…" I mumble to myself. This is where I have to choose. The third option, convincing Uzume to go with us, is out of question now. I have two options: Either wait for her to finish the job, or I do it myself to take her burden. I pick the second one, and raise my gun to the crystal, concentrating my power in one bullet…But when I'm about to pull the trigger, Neptune, now Purple Heart, puts a hand on my shoulder to signal me to stop. When I look into her eyes, I see that she has already prepared for the worst, and she is ready for this. I sigh in frustration, and bring my gun down. Then, Purple Heart helps Purple Sister standing up, and they destroy the crystal together.

"Thanks, you two… Now everyone, return back to Hyperdimension! It needs you all!"

Later

Frustration, anger, sadness, pressure…All of them make me collapse mid-way. Weiss runs back to me, as the others walks behind her.

"Schwarz…please, let it go…"

"Let it go…it's easier saying than doing so Weiss…Do you think our father will proud of our actions?"

"Schwarz…we don't have a choice…He knows that we're not him, we cannot change fates…"

"Future is unpredictable, as our father said before…We had a chance to save her, and we wasted it…Another person, gone, right before us…Neptune…how did you deal with it?"

Neptune doesn't say anything at first, then… "OF COURSE I'm not satisfied with this! We are not having the Happy Ending now. And I'm intend to do anything just to achieve it!"

IF stops her: "Wait a second Nep! You forgot you're still having your own dimension to save? It's true we made a terrible choice, but we need to know what comes first. Right now, we need to…"

"You all go ahead." Nepgear speaks up. "You can join us if you want. I, Neptune and Schwarz will come back to Uzume."

Compa: "Not you too, Ge-Ge!"

Big Neptune shouts: "If little Me is going to save Uzume, then I will come with her! No way I can live with this remorse in my heart!"

Then, I feel a hand waving before me, and T.O's voice can be heard: "Now, if you want to save her, you should come with us. We don't have much time to waste."

I grab the hand without thinking, start standing up and say: "Thank you, T.O. Glad you're with me."

Then, the figure chuckles: "Are you being blinded by love that you mistook me with T.O, kid? My heart is breaking apart."

I instantly look up, and face-to-face with my father's smiling face. Why did I know? He's not wearing a black fedora. "DAD?"

* * *

Back to the battlefield, Uzume's POV

"Damn, so many of them. I have fought for a while already, but there's no end of them." I speak to myself after I have punched one right back to a group, making them go down. One tries to sneak up behind me, but I backhand it using my megaphone. I shout into the megaphone, creating soundwaves hitting the monsters straight on, leaving dents on the ground. A big humanoid monster swings its left arm to me, I catch it and swing on it for a few rounds to get momentum, then break its arm right before I let it go and kick right into another monster. Another group of monster jump to me from all side, and I have to slam the megaphone to the ground, creating a sound blast that knocks all of them out of me.

"But, if I run now, I will risk them getting to Hyperdimension. For Nepsy, Gearsy, and the others, I won't give up. Dream Combo!" I pocket my megaphone, and start punching all of the monsters in front of me, jump up and do a left hook to the last one, throwing it to the air. "Dream Roar!" Right before I hit the ground, I equip my weapon back and shout, hitting everything under me. I land to the ground, take a quick breath… "Dream Smashing Fist!" I leap myself to the horde, and punch through a few monsters, creating explosions in the process. But the monsters keep pushing to me, and I am forced to use my HDD and my last skill. "Special Dream Combo!" I fly around while blasting soundwaves to the monsters, then use multiple glyphs to apply more strikes to my punches. In the last of the move, I summon two massive glyphs, and I shout in my megaphone, and the glyphs shoot out rays of light to the horde. Many of them are vaporized in that attack, however, more and more still come in. Due to exhaustion, I turn off my HDD and land on the ground, breathing heavily and kneeling.

"No, I can't fall here. But, my legs…they're turning into jelly…My power… is starting to fade away…No, even…if I die here…I will bring all of them with me…"

"UZUME! We have talked about it already, don't raise such death flags like that!"

"Huh? Nepsy?" I feel something flying above me, and when I look up, a massive three-head dragon is on top of me. I would have attacked it, if it didn't raise its mouths and blasts energy lasers to all of the monsters down here. Then Gearsy, Nepsy and big Nepsy jump down from the dragon's back, along with a few more people. A pink hair lady swings her rapier down, and a massive glyph appears on the ground, followed by a tornado blowing up and killing all of the monsters inside it. A smaller pink hair girl raises her wand up, creates a lot of black and purple spears on the air, and throws it to the monsters. The girls with blue hair, their ages are around the pink duo, summon two types of water dragons Aqua's is a Chinese dragon, while Charlotte's is Sylphid look-alike and they start attacking all the monsters on the air, followed by the girl with red hair and her **fire phoenixes,** exploding the monsters in contact. Weiss and Schwarz, in their transformed forms, are floating on the air and creating multiple glyphs to step on respectively, and attack everything on their sight. IF and Compa are also there, pointing their guns and syringe to the enemies and shoot projectiles to the monsters, but somehow they look older. A guy who looks as old as the ladies, swings his sword and from it, multiple slashes with variety of elements come out and go through the monsters, killing them in the process. Who are they? But more importantly, why did Nepsy and the others come back here?

As they land to the ground, both Nepsy and Gearsy run to me. The others have spread out and push back the monsters. The dragon then shines up, and turns out it's Kuro, or Hybrid Heart in his current form, and he joins with Schwarz and Weiss in attacking airborne monsters.

"Uzume! Are you happy to see us again?" Little Nepsy is the one asking me that, while Gearsy makes me sit on the ground then checks on my wounds and Big Nepsy searches for her medicines.

"You all…why did you come back…what about Hyperdimension?"

Gearsy answers: "Affimojas and Steamax have another ship, they have taken the others back to Zero Dimension to fend off the monsters there. We also have established forces on the other side of the portal to make sure the monsters cannot attack into the nations of Hyperdimension."

Little Nepsy continues: "And we're here because of you, that's why! We're going to greet the Happy Ending together! Also, I think little Schwarz has a little crush on you…"

'I DID NOT! DON'T LISTEN TO MY FATHER LIKE THAT!' I can hear Schwarz's voice in my head, and probably the others can too. Then I blush a bit after Nepsy's words sink in.

"Schwarz…has a…" I almost turn in my dreamy mode when…

'Uzume and Schwarz sitting…' 'DON'T YOU DARE, FATHER!'

"Found it! Uzume, drink this. It will help you for a while." Big Nepsy gives me another of her Nep Bull, and I instantly drink it. The taste is still as bad, but it has its usefulness. My leg starts regaining the feeling, and I try to stand up, but Gearsy holds me down. "Relax, Uzume. You need to rest first. You have fought for a while already." I really want to complain, but, with my current conditions, I can't do anything but to listen to her.

I look at the others. The young girls, they only use magic to fight for them, maybe they're spell casters like Rom and Ram. The adults are holding on their own very well, even better than me. Am I that weak?

'What are you expecting, destroying your own Share Crystal like that? That's your core power, you being weakened is too obvious.'

"Then, how can I be stronger now?"

'Just return with us back to Hyperdimension. We will find a way.'

"Is it even possible?"

'You're talking about me.'

I ask little Nepsy: "What does Kuro mean?"

She smiles: "Just don't worry. He always knows what to do."

"Oh, right. Shouldn't we leave now?"

"Sorry, Uzume. But Kuro left a mission to me." The pink girl walks to the direction of the void. "And it will take a while. So, bear with it, please." And she points her wand to the empty space, then words and runes starts spinning around her, as she is chanting in a language I can't understand at all. Then, a monster suddenly leaps to her, but the guy in blue hair is faster, and he stabs the monster with his katana and pushes the corpse away while it starts vanishing.

"What is she doing?" I ask out loud. Gearsy answers: "She's going to severe the connection of Kurome to the void, so that she won't call out anymore version of Dark CPUs."

"About the others…they are…"

Big Nepsy: "Protecting you. We cannot let you die here alone, ain't we?"

Everyone…Then I blush a bit more when I remember about…

Then I suddenly feel a surge of energy coming from Louise, as she shouts "Dispel!". Then, a light no, not thunder. I checked the anime when Saito and Louise fought Wales, it's thunder, but I'm changing it to light. Zeus' Wrath is not fun, and it's way too stupid to look if you cast thunder in the void shoots out from her wand, and heads straight into the Void.

…

…

"Uh, nothing happened." As soon as I said that, the monsters suddenly run away instead of trying to prey on us anymore. Kuro, Weiss and Schwarz start descending, as the later two turn back to their human form. And the others gather around me.

Kuro speaks: "It works actually. Kurome controlled them to kill you and anyone on their way. However, with the connection between her and the Void being cut, the monsters regained their own control, and due to their own instinct, they ran away." Then he suddenly winks at me. "And you made my son worry a bit too much you know? He just kept talking about…" Then he somehow got shut by Schwarz by covering his hand over his mouth, and Kuro has a piece of mask over his mouth.

"Don't…you…dare, father." Schwarz threatens his father. But, I know what he's about to say, and I see a light pink on Schwarz's face. I blush a bit, and try to hide it.

But, how can I hide it when we have both Nepsy and this guy here?

Little Nepsy now has her troll face on: "Ohhhh… Does this Uzume really have a crush on the little guy? I'm glad you have something to focus on, rather on how to be cool."

"NO! NOTHING LIKE THAT! We just met a while ago, how can I…"

Big Nepsy just has to add fuel to the fire: "It's called love at first sight! It happened rarely, and many have dreamt about that. Maybe with your power…"

"HOW COULD YOU GO TO THAT CONCLUSION?" Then suddenly the violin sound appears, as we look to see Kuro, with Schwarz still covering his mouth somehow, is playing a godforsaken violin with a romantic song. Schwarz, having enough of that, brings Kuro up making him drop the violin, and throws him as far as possible, his face is in the same red as I am in embarrassment.

Then he turns back to me, both his hands in front of him as he bows to me apologetically: "I'm sorry about my father. Sometimes he just goes overboard like that."

"It…It didn't cause any real harm…" Physically. I'm so embarrassed right now! Seriously, this is even more embarrassed when I took a naked shower with Nepsy and Gearsy! I decide to stand up and walk out of the circle as I shout out. "ALL RIGHT! I'm good now! But we need to return back to Zero Dimension. The good monsters are in danger."

"Don't worry about it." Kuro stands up, completely fine, and turns to me. "Right now, Umio probably have evacuated everyone to Hyperdimension already. I have ordered the ASIC to protect them as well."

"I see…That's good then…" Then my vision suddenly blurs, and I collapse to the ground, the world around me turns black…

* * *

Later…

When I open my eyes, I see a metallic roof in front of me. Or more likely above me, since I'm in a lying position. The light on it is not helping my current headache as I put my hand in front of me to block the light.

"Urgh… This is annoying…"

"Oh Uzume! You're up! How do you feel now?" Compa, preparing something on the table, turns to me in a surprise, as she pulls her chair closer to me.

"I'm…fine…Just a bit dazed because of the light…"

"That's good. Do you think you can sit up?" I try to, and succeed. I put my legs out of the bed and sit on the edge, as I look at Compa. "May I ask what happened to me?"

"From what I heard from Kuro, you passed out due to exhaustion, even big Nep-nep's medicine can't keep you up for long. Then, he took you and his group to this ship, which is owned by Affimojas and Steamax. And Schwarz just…" She snickers. What's so funny? "He picked you up, and carried you like a bride to my group and asked for help. His face showed a lot of concern to you. Then, we fixed you up a bit and put you in this room." My face heats up again. Why would Schwarz be the person to do that? Aren't there more people with him?

"Then, where are the others?"

"They have separated in this ship already. But currently, Kuro and his group are in the main hall and they are discussing about the next plan. Some more are in it too. Schwarz is on top of the ship, Weiss is in her room with her mother and her aunt. And…"

"Schwarz is there? Why?" A silence. Why did I ask about him like that?

"He's really worried about you. After we made sure you're okay, he just went there and stayed there until now."

"How long have I been out?"

"It's just an hour max."

"Thank you. I'm going out now. And thanks for watching after me."

"Bye Uzume!" She waves goodbye to me.

I walk out of the door, then walk around a bit, and realize: I never asked her the way to the upper floor. As I wander aimlessly around trying to find a sign, I stumble into someone…

"Oh, Uzume. You shouldn't walk around this early."

"I'm sorry about… Compa?" The person before me is definitely Compa, however this one is like ten years older than the previous Compa. And her clothes look a bit old too.

"Is something wrong, Uzume?"

"It's that…I just saw you in the room I woke up, and you're way younger."

She giggles. "I see. You have met the past me." Past…me? "I will have to introduce myself, don't I? My name is also Compa, however, I'm Kuro's wife. Please to meet you, Uzume."

Kuro's wife…The information sinks in a few moments after…And I remember…about Schwarz and Weiss talking about…

…

"WHAT? YOU'RE WEISS' MOTHER?" I don't even bother to cover my dreamy voice. This is too shock to me.

"Yes, I am." She giggles. Her voice and her gestures are the same with the Compa I knew before. "My daughter has told you about us, right?"

"Yes, I did. But meeting you still made Uzume so shocked. So you and IF are Kuro's lovey-dovey?"

"Yes. And you might want to change your voice back."

"Oh. *Cough* Thank you."

"You are welcome. By the way, why are you walking around like that?"

I sweat a bit. "I'm just…wandering and admiring this ship…"

"You're trying to find where Schwarz is, right?"

I sweat even more. "How…Why…"

She smiles. "Don't worry. Let me lead you there." And due to my own shock, she just grabs my hand and pulls me to a stair. "This will head you directly to him. Just go up, you will meet him there." Then she just walks away before I could even say my thank to her.

I walk on the stair, and true to her words, Schwarz is indeed here outside the ship, he's watching at the portal that the ship's head is facing the opposite way. He probably heard my footsteps, as he turns at me in surprise. "Uzume?" He runs to me, and checks my right arm with his hands. "Are you alright now?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you all." I blush a bit at what he's doing, and the reason why I'm here.

"That's good. Now, why are you up here anyway?"

"It's…" I hesitate a bit. Should I tell him the truth? If it comes out, my cool meter might decrease a bit.

Schwarz probably notices something, as he takes his hands back. "Uzume, do you want to watch with me to the scene around from up here? Of course, I won't force you if you don't want to."

"I…Yes, I'd like to do so." He smiles, and picks up my right hand with his left, and gently pulls me to the place he just walks. From there, we can see Zero Dimension from up here. Many places have been in ruin, but we also can see some places with many green trees, and even the Sakura Tree areas as well. The world is not exactly in its worst shape.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Schwarz points his finger to the Sakura trees. "Even in this world, things are still running by their own nature, uninterrupted by the outcomes of this world." I only nod in silence. Why did I act like this around him? Is it because of all the teasing from them? Or is there something else? Is it…love that big Nepsy told me? It's impossible…isn't it?

"Hey, Schwarz." He looks at me, as I look back at me. "Why did you care so much about me? We just met, right? And earlier, Compa told me you carried me in here, just to make sure I'm fine. I'm appreciated of it, of course, but…I want to know your reasons."

He is about to say when I interrupt him. "And please don't say 'it's a good thing to do'. Even Weiss' mother giggled at that, so I'm sure there's something else."

He looks at my eyes, then turns away and sighs. "I believe that…you reminded me of myself, and my mother…" He sits down, and I follow him. "Not your appearance, mind you. It's your…determination to protect everyone with your everything. You…" He stops a bit… "My mother is a caring person. She would protect everyone without even caring about herself first. That's what all of us love her about. I always look up to her in that way, and always try my best to be like her."

"If she's the same with the younger IF, then she is as cool as her, even more, right?"

Schwarz chuckles: "You can say so. Then…" He stops smiling. "…Did Neptune and Nepgear tell you about our past?"

"They only told me you come from the future, a bad one isn't it?" I heard that, they came from the future that Nepsy and Gearsy made a wrong decision, and the world just went down, like this one. I didn't know how bad it was, though.

Schwarz nods. "Yes. That future. One day, all of the monsters rose up, and started slaying everything on sight. All nations turned to ruin that day. In the end, only my family was left, and we pushed through the monsters to get to the person who's responsible to all of that. Histoire had to turn back to her original self to survive, and that's my father's order. However, when we reached to the door between us and her, the monsters had already behind us. My father tried to defend us all so that we could go through it. But then…" He bites his lips. He stays silence for a full minute. Then… "My mother and aunt Compa suddenly pulled him back and closed the door right between us and them, and it blocked us from going back. My father tried to open it, but he didn't allow it…" That last part makes him look scary for a bit. And he? Who is he? "At that point, we had believed that they're gone. In the end, only I, Weiss and my father were the last survivors. We rushed towards the last room and faced the culprit of everything." Then he chuckles dryly. "From that last fight, I have changed…"

"How much, may I ask?" "Remember my transformation?" I nod. That looks cool, but terrifying at the same time. "It's from that time. Before that, I never knew I have my father's Dark power. Anyway, when we faced her, I looked at my father's eyes, and… you know what was in his eyes? Hesitation."

I blink. "Hesitation?" He nods. "I don't understand. The culprit was right in front of you all right? The one who's responsible for all of the citizens' lost, especially his love ones. Well, now you know they're still alive, but back then, why did he hesitate?"

"Because the culprit was none other than Nepgear, or Corrupted Heart as everyone in that time dubbed her."

Gearsy? I instantly stand up and shout to him: "Impossible! You know Gearsy, right? How could a good girl like her could cause all of the distress in your world?"

"Sit down please, Uzume." I reluctantly do so. There has to be some misunderstanding here. He continues his story. "Yes, I have acted the same when I heard about her the first time. She had been my mother and aunt Compa's best friend. But they never told me what happened to her. Only when I saw her in person, and through my father's questions to her, did I understand more. If you have heard from the Nep sisters, we have helped rescuing the CPUs from their capture, the Deity of Sins, and defeated her. But, in our past, Nepgear…made a mistake, causing all the other CPUs to…vanish, and she alone defeated DoS. Then, she ran away, thinking if she's not there, people would have a better life. But then, she suddenly came back, controlling the monsters for some reasons."

"But…controlling the monsters…did us CPUs have that power?"

"That was our question as well. But, we didn't care much about it. All we knew that: The last CPU came back, and she was our enemy. And in that moment, I wanted to hear her reasons. And…she just attacked us without a word, forcing my father to fight her to protect us. He could have easily overwhelmed her, but he held back to try and talk sense to her. Then, she drew the last straw…"

"The last straw?" I ask him. He lowers his head, his hair covering his eyes, that I can't see how they look like. Then...

"She tried to stab Weiss after she swatted my father away." I gasp. "Yes, you heard it right. In that moment, I did what I could only think at that time: protect my sister at all cost. So, I jumped right in between them and took the hit." He then unbuttons his shirt, which I blush while seeing it, and shows the scar at his right chest. It's not very big, since that time he's just a child. "I had believed I died there, but, my father's power finally kicked in, and I was saved. Of course, only after the fight we found out about that. My father, after seeing that, snapped, and basically used brute force to beat Corrupted Heart up, and in the last moment, used Gehaburn, the sword you saw him wielding on his left hand, and stabbed her."

A little silence for me to swallow the story. The Gearsy they fought, and the Gearsy we know now…they can't be the same person, right?

"She…This Gearsy…She's not the same like ours, right? She's an imposter, right?" I cannot accept that truth, no matter what.

"No. No matter how you looked at her, it's Nepgear we knew. But…After my father found out my and Weiss' power, he walked up to Corrupted Heart to pull out the sword, before he found out she's still alive. He started asking her questions again, and this time, she talked."

"She did then? What did she say?"

"She told us why she did all of them. And because of that, I had complex feelings towards her."

"Complex? How so?"

"The person we thought had fought the whole time was not the person we expected. Apparently Gehaburn is a cursed sword, and it will manipulate the mind of the user, if the user doesn't have experience with the Darkness."

Now it makes sense. "You're saying…the sword controlled her mind?"

"To one part. The first time, she was pushed by it, but later…she was controlled by the Deity of Sins, who was sealed into the sword instead of vanished, and made everything even worse. That explained why everything happened after she suddenly went in hiding. Once we knew the truth, my father forgave her completely, but we didn't. Only when we spent more time here, have we done the same thing. Now, we're friends."

"I see…" It seems Kuro forgives everyone pretty easily, no matter what. But then… "Then how can your father wield the sword with no problems?"

"My father has been exposed to Darkness for a while, also he has seen more disturbing stuffs in his life, so the sword can't control him."

"What happened to Nepgear after that?"

"I and Weiss don't know, really. He just took us back to Planeptune's Basilicom, and then went off, saying he was going to find the remain citizens. The worst part here is: He never found another survivor, however, he faked it to raise us for 7 years before we teleported to this Hyperdimension."

"Why that long?"

"He doesn't want to lose us, like he nearly did in the Last Battle, so he faked the whole world and taught us basic knowledge, and also trained us to use his power."

"Faked the whole world?"

"He made it look like there were still survivors. Then, he made them slowly dying until there's no one left after 7 years. We didn't know that until before we created Share Blade, the sword my father wields on his right hand."

"Wait. If he's that powerful, then why didn't he…"

"Save the world by himself? He never wants to be the center of attention. Also, if he did so, the people might forget the CPUs, and… you know what could happen."

I nod. The nightmare for all CPUs is when everyone forgets about them.

He suddenly says: "Back to the matter before. You remembered when you asked Nepgear to shoot down your Share Crystal?" I nod. "Your action was the same like mine and my mother's. She tried to protect us, so that we could fight the culprit with no problems. I risked my life so my sister can live. And you, you destroyed your own power to help us protect our world. For that, I'm very grateful…but I'm also angry at you." He says that, but his eyes show none of it. "If we stayed for a bit longer, maybe my father would have arrived and stopped your plan, and we could have found another way to protect both worlds."

I could do nothing but to turn my head away. Yes, it's a foolish plan. But, if Kuro never came, then we didn't really have another choice. Also, a CPU's duty is to protect everyone. If I didn't do that, then…

"By the way, why did you come here anyway?" My face heats up again, and I let out a small yelp. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing is wrong." I try to deny it, but he catches up with my expression, as he sighs. "Father, if you behind this…"

I interrupt him: "No, no, no. I came here on my own will. He didn't…"

"Then my father is definitely the culprit. Tell me, do you still have your mind in my father's and Neptune's joke?"

My face is red from embarrassment, and I couldn't hide my dreamy voice: "Uzume…Uzume do not think about it…Uzume…"

"Your face says otherwise, Uzume." Then he smiles, and a faint of pink appears on his face. "I suppose his joke has some truth in it."

"Eh?" I don't really understand why he said that.

"Maybe he realized that, our motivation, our actions are the same, so he tried to ship us together. He's a shipper, mind you."

I'm even redder now. "How…How old is Kuro now?"

He shrugs. "He's over 60 years old, technically. But, if you count his personality, then I would say he's just a teenager."

An awkward moment occurs as I move left and right in my place. Me and Schwarz, being a couple… Then Schwarz suddenly puts his hand on my right hand. I yelp in surprise, as I look at him, his eyes show sadness.

"Uzume, promise me that, you would come back to Hyperdimension with me…no, with us. I cannot see another person I care die again, especially what condition you are in now."

I frown this time. He knew. "What are you talking about?"

"My father told us. After shooting down the Share Crystal, you're basically dead. But, there's still a chance for you to be alive again. So, please. Everyone also doesn't want to see you go."

I look down to my hand, which is held by Schwarz. I know that much, my friends want me to come with them. But, between that and the danger that's still clinging out there…

"I…I will try…I can't say anything about future…" He nods at my answer, though he looks a bit sad.

We then look at the surrounding again, then… "Shall we head inside, Uzume?" "Yeah, we should." We stand up and walk back, without noticing our hands are still in each other…

* * *

In the main deck

"OH! You two have moved on already? Congratulation!" Both Nepsy shout with excitement. The others are snickering as well. When Kuro sees our confused faces, he just chuckles and points down to the culprit. I and Schwarz immediately release each other, and turn away in embarrassment.

"PLEASE, just forget about it."

"I have a question though." We look back at Kuro, who is waving a picture in front of us. The picture is…US, the position shows that it just took a few seconds ago, and somehow we're wearing WEDDING OUTFITS. "When can I have grandchildren?"

The next minute is me and Schwarz chasing Kuro around the room, trying to take the picture from his hand. I don't care much about the laughter around us, all I'm focusing now is to get rid of that embarrassing picture!

But then, when I glance out of the window, I see something that I don't want to see now.

"Kurome. The other me…"

The laughter dies down instantly. Schwarz looks at the direction I'm looking. "No way. That's her… How?"

"She's not that easy to defeat kids." Both of us look at Kuro, who has put the picture somewhere else, and looks out. "We might have severed her connection to the Void, doesn't mean she will vanish. Since this world is filled with negative energy, and since you…" He looks at me. "Are still here, none of you will go. You two are two sides of the same coin."

"Father…" Schwarz looks at him dangerously. "Don't you dare tell us to…"

"Does my face look like I'm sacrificing her?" He smirks back at Schwarz. "Of course, you won't see her for a while, but she won't die, I promise you. Besides…" He suddenly wraps his arm around Schwarz neck and uses his other hand to mess Schwarz's hair. "I want to see how my grandkids look like, okay? No way I'm letting the opportunity go away." Both of us are resembling tomatoes now, as Schwarz tries to get out of his father's arm-lock.

"On serious note…" Kuro suddenly releases Schwarz, making him fall to the ground. "Affimojas, can you land us there? We will take the rest of the way by ourselves." He points to a place on the map, which we assumed before it's the ruined Planeptune.

Affimojas: "Of course. Be careful down there."

Kuro: "Thanks. After we land, make sure you get out of this dimension and destroy the portal. I will open another one for us." Affimojas gives him a thumb-up.

* * *

The party, which consists of all CPUs, Kuro's family, the otherworld's group and the Gold Third, has started heading towards the energy's presence which we assumed it's from Kurome. The daydream event is in the middle of the travel. And when we reach an empty area, Kurome is already standing there, waiting for us.

"Even after all that fight, you're still here. You're so tenacious."

Kurome smirks: "And you don't seem to be surprised."

"I was, at first, but Kuro here confirmed it for me."

She looks at Kuro, then back to me. "Then, he must know about the way to completely kill me."

Kuro speaks up: "Doesn't mean I'm going to use it. You think I'm going to let a good person die on my watch? Nuh-uh."

Kurome: "Then, you know I will come back no matter what? Right now, our main body is already stained with darkness. If you kill me now, I would come back in the future. All your hard work to stop me will be fruitless."

"So?" She turns back to me. "You forgot that, when our Share Crystal was destroyed, our sealed body is dying, right? We're now just ghosts of our former selves. If we defeat you now, you won't come back again."

That causes all of my friends to gasp in surprise. Little Nepsy asks first: "No way! You're lying! Aren't you still hanging your life with the Sharicites you're holding?"

I turn back to look at her. "I didn't get affected by the energy of Sharicites when I used them for the Sharing Field. The only possible reason is that…I am now just pieces separated from the real me. I'm…sorry for keeping that until now."

Everyone looks down now. I sigh, and turn back to Kurome, who looks furious now. "Now, let us finish this fight, shall we? And I'm not planning to make myself look even worse, since I have made a promise already."

Kurome shouts in anger: "NO, NO, NO! I WON'T ACCEPT THIS! I WILL NEVER!" Then, she transforms into Dark Orange, and roars with her might to the sky, causing mini shockwaves to us.

I sigh. "I seriously hope I could deal with you alone, but now… all right you guys, I will active my last Sharing Field now…"

"Please don't Uzume." I turn to Schwarz. He looks like he's about to cry now. "You promised me, right? You would come back with us."

I smile sadly. "I'm sorry. I did say I will try, but at this rate…I can't keep that promise anymore. Please accept my apology."

"Father…" He turns to his father. "Please…please tell her this is NOT the Happy Ending, please tell her and everyone here it's not."

Kuro says, no humor in his voice: "Sorry, kid. We're walking to that ending now."

"Why…" His tears are running on his face now. I almost cry too, but I hold it back as I hug him. "Please don't cry, Schwarz. I might not be physically with you all, but I will always be in your heart. I'm the CPU of the past, and I shouldn't intercept the present and the future of our world. With this action, I will fulfill my role as a CPU: protect the world from the dangers." I feel his body shaking now, his tears flowing on my shoulder. About a few moments, I release him and look to Nepsy and Gearsy. "I want to say my thank to you two. I was so happy when I met you for the first time, and even more when you came back for me when I asked you to leave. Now, I will make sure your help won't go to waste. Transform!" I changed into Orange Heart, and raise up the console on my left hand. "Now, witness me everyone, as this will be the last time you will see me doing this. Sharing Field, activate!"

* * *

You can skip this rant and imagine the fight by yourself.

Sorry, not being a d**k here, but I'm not going to write out a fight, which actions are too various. Like, with the numerous skills AND combos, and especially with the game with combo sets that don't really connect with each other, how can you pull the actions out? Of course, doesn't mean I'm not going to not write any. I will try to write some specific ones.

* * *

"No…NO! I'm disappearing…Why…Why does the world insist in rejecting me? No, I will not…AAHH!" The Dark Orange, with Kurome inside, bursts into thousands of pieces and fades away. The Sharing Field is deactivated as well.

We look at the dark sky now. Everything…is done, now Zero and Heart Dimension will disappear, along with me in it.

"Uzume, just…go with us, please."

"You know I can't, Schwarz. Even if I could run back to Hyperdimension, I would just vanish. I don't want you to see me disappearing."

Umio swims to me, and says apologetically: "I'm sorry, Uzume. In the end, you still protect us, and yet, we can't save you in return…"

"Don't worry about it, Umio. You all remembering me is more than I could ask for." I turn to Kuro, who is having a neutral look now. "Kuro, open a portal so that everyone can get out of here." He only nods and does so.

After everyone has walked into the portal, only Kuro and Schwarz is staying behind. "You guys should go now."

Schwarz looks at me; tears are still in his eyes. Then he turns to his father: "Can't I stay here with her?"

"Sorry, kid. Your mother would kill me if I let that happen. I'm going to leave you two for a while, then you head back."

Schwarz: "What about you?"

Kuro: "Like I said. Need to make sure you're safe." Then he walks a bit far from us.

Now, I and Schwarz look at each other's eyes. No words have been exchanged…

…

"I guess, it's our goodbye now."

"I'm regretting I haven't met you sooner."

I smile sadly. "You don't even know I existed in the first place. But then again, I'm too old for you, right?"

He just pouts: "Don't joke like that, okay?"

I giggle a bit. "Hehe, sorry. Oh, right." I take out my Visual Radio and give it to him. "I think you should hold it. Please, always remember me, okay?"

He takes it with both his hands. "I would never forget you, Uzume. Never."

Another silence…

"You two lovebirds have done yet?" Kuro suddenly puts his hands on our shoulder, he suddenly becomes cheerfully for some reasons.

Schwarz frowns a bit. "We may have acknowledged our feelings now, doesn't mean you're not responsible for breaking it."

Kuro: "Of course, **I won't be.** Sorry for the bumpy ride." Then he suddenly pushes Schwarz, hard, right through the portal. He doesn't notice my shocked face, as he watches Schwarz standing up, surprise written on his face.

Schwarz: "What are you doing, Father?"

Kuro: "Protecting your girlfriend. Now, go back to Histy, prepare the ritual, and pray for your Uzume to come back with you."

Schwarz: "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU…" We couldn't hear the last part, as the portal suddenly shutdowns.

Kuro puts his hand out of my shoulder. "Now, to the final fight…"

"Wait a second!" Kuro turns to me. "What is your plan?"

"Didn't I say it already? Protect you from Kurome, and wait for the others to bring you back."

"Protect me from…who?" I heard his words clearly, but we just…

He points a finger to something behind me, and when I turn back, I'm shocked to see Kurome, though she's having some square patterns around her, and sometimes her image flicks.

"HOW?"

"She did say before, right? As long as there's negative energy, she would come back no matter what. Now, since both of you, even if you're ghosts now, are still here, this dimension will still exist, albeit it's falling apart now."

"Then how can we…"

"Fight for your control." Huh? "Fight your own self. Prove you're worthy to exist. With the combination of everyone praying for you, you have a high chance to come back. And…" He turns into Hybrid Heart. "I'm here to make sure it happens."

* * *

Back to Hyperdimension, Schwarz's POV

What…the bloody hell…just happened? Don't tell me… You unholy bastard…

"Schwarz, you're okay?" Weiss picks me up, and notices Uzume's Radio on my hand. "Is that…Uzume's Radio?"

"Yes." I wipe my tears away. I turn to everyone. "We need to go to Histy's place now. She holds the key for Uzume's revival."

Neptune shouts in surprise: "How could it be possible? Uzume herself said that her main body died, right?"

I think back to what she said before. " **Our sealed body is dying** …Her body is still alive, barely! If we're fast enough, we still have a chance for it!"

Big Neptune nods, and she's about to ask Croire to teleport us when… "World Door." After two simple words, a door-like opens before us. Louise waves her hand: "Come on. If you really want her back, then we shouldn't waste time standing here." We nod at her words, and we walk through the portal.

… And we immediately greet Histy, Histoire and Arfoire in the meeting room of Planeptune's Basilicom.

Histy says in surprise: "Oh, hello everyone! When did you…"

"What are you three doing?" I interrupt her. Right now, we're seeing them preparing the parts of the console Kurome tried to steal before.

"Oh, this?" Arfoire points to the console. I nod. "It's Kuro's plan to revive Uzume."

Revive…Uzume…Those words ring in my head like a church bell.

"We…we can do that?"

Histoire looks at me curiously: "Of course we can…Didn't your father tell you already?"

"No…He never told us once."

"Oh my, oh my. Kuro surely is a naughty boy, trying to hide such things to you all." That creepy voice… We turn to see a pink mech suit. Only one person would wear that.

"ANONYDEATH? How could you be here? I thought my father locked the portal connecting our world."

"He just opened it when he returned to see you all. He asked me to check if I could increase the chance to save the old CPU…" He immediately shuts up when I point the Barrett right to his chin in point blank.

"Don't…you dare call her that." I threaten him. It's a meaningless threat, since we know Anonydeath is not that easy to be scared. He's an infamous hacker for a reason.

"It seems I have angered you. Sorry my friend."

I pull the gun away. "It's okay. Just don't do that again."

He nods, and continues: "He asked me to save her, in exchange for the device. Though, I'm not very interested in the device, I'm intruded by the fact just a small device can be a seal for something so important. So I decided to honor his request. He did give me some chances to wander around Research Land, after all."

I nod. Anonydeath is not a bad person, it just…I heard from both Noire how creepy he is sometimes.

I suddenly remember, I pull out the Visual Radio. "Can you connect it to the console?"

Anonydeath picks it up. "It's from the CPU, right?" I nod. "Then it's perfect. Kuro told us about it too. With this, we have even higher chance to save her." He plugs it to the main seal.

Histy speaks: "Now, after I release the seal, all we could do is pray for Uzume. Only she can escape the seal by herself."

Now I know why father just kept silence all the time. He just doesn't want to spoil the happiness.

Everyone starts praying for Uzume, and I did too, as I fold my hands together and put it right on my chest, close my eyes...

'Please, I beg of you, Uzume. Defeat your inner Darkness, and return back to us…

… back to me.'

* * *

The Void, Uzume's POV

"So that's your plan? Release the seal for me to return?"

"Nah, someone beats me to it already. I just copied their method. Of course, I won't earn anything from it."

"You won't, sir. You won't."

"ARGH! WHY WON'T YOU ALL DIE?"

"The fact we're already dead doesn't tell you much? Seriously, you're not going anywhere now."

Right now, I and Kurome are fighting against each other, trying to take control of the original's body to ourselves, with Kuro on my side. He said that he only helps me a bit, and I understand why after he explained to me the reason: If he was to fight Kurome directly, my body might register him as well, and it won't be a fun experience. And he helps me by…distracting Kurome, a lot, and deflects her attacks with his bullets, which only staggers her without doing any damage. By now, Kurome is NOT having a good time.

Kurome: "I will not…let you…stand in my way…"

Kuro: "Even if we don't, the other CPUs, the citizens, and my own land will have a way to deal with you. I'm here just to make it quicker. And need I remind you I have my old citizens back, and I have opened the portal connecting Hyperdimension and Ultradimension back? We have plenty of force to fight you."

Then, I hear his prayer…now I definitely have to go back.

I raise my fist. "Sorry Kurome. It's time for you to go." I prepare my attack, as I focus all of my power in this shot.

Kurome did the same thing. "We will see…if your happiness…and my hatred… WHICH IS STRONGER?" We both leap forward and punch right into the other's attack, creating a mini-shockwave around us. Then, the world turns white to me.

…

When I open my eyes, I see everyone looking at me with nervousness, probably feeling I could be Kurome. Well, let's break down the moment.

"Sorry for keeping all of you waiting, everyone! Uzume Tennouboshi has revived!"

"Uzume! / Uzume, you're back!" Little Nepsy and Gearsy jump right on me, making me nearly fall to the ground. They hug me with their might, and they're laughing in happiness.

"Hello again, you two. Nice to see you're still the same, even though it's just a few moments." When I look at everyone's else, I see all familiar faces, except three people standing next to small Histy. One of them looks exactly like Histoire, except she's as tall as little Nepsy. The woman next to her has silver hair, and for some reasons I feel something familiar from her. And the last one is a pink robot…Okay?

Everyone starts getting closer to me. Umio speaks first: "Uzume…Thank goodness. We're glad you have come back."

Big Nepsy: "I nearly thought Kurome was the one revived. But nope, you're here with us now!"

"Thanks to everyone I could return here safely. I'm truly at home now."

Weiss suddenly giggles: "Well, how about you have a word with him now?" Weiss stands aside, and Schwarz walks to me, his eyes are filled with tears again, and happiness.

"Uzume, you're back…"

"Yes, I'm back. It seems I have kept my promise with you successfully, don't I?"

"You do, Uzume, you do." Then he hugs me, and I hug him back, now I'm crying now. "Welcome back, Uzume." We're like that for a while. Then he pulls his face in front of mine, and I can see he's red for some reasons. "I know I might regret it later, but…during the time I travel with you, I have developed some feelings for you, and…I think now it's the best time to tell you." He takes a deep breath, then… "I love you, Uzume. Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

I was shocked at first, but then smile. Even though we just have a short time with each other, I can see that he truly cares about me, and would do anything just to keep me safe. He even tried to pull me back from the nearly inevitable. So, my answer?

"Of course, mister. You have earned yourself a cool girl for your life." He smiles, then our lips meet. I hear whispers and cheers around me, but I don't really care much. After a few seconds, our lips depart, and we hug each other again.

After a while, we release the hug, and Schwarz suddenly asks: "By the way, where's my father?"

I blink. Oh, right… "Eh, I…don't know actually. Right before I was here, I had just delivered my last attack. I'm not sure what happened after that."

He sighs. "What are you doing father?"

* * *

The Void, a moment before…, Kuro's POV

"Beautiful, isn't it Creator? And unpredictable…"

Even myself is surprised by that. Like, I thought it would go normally, and this happens.

"We have everything in our camera now, should we leave this place?"

Don't you want some more words to Kurome?

"Oh, right. Sorry Kurome for…"

"Don't be. You guys has won. You are more powerful than me. I guess this is my fate after all."

After that attack, the world just collapsed, and currently, only one ground remains in the middle of the nowhere, and I and Kurome are sitting on it. Kurome, now severed her connection from the hatred, just sits there, emotionlessly. Only the appearance, though.

"…Why do you want to come back? No, that's a stupid question. Why do you want to bring ruin to the people you never know?"

"You know how betrayed feels like, right?"

"You're talking about human here. They are unpredictable, always curious, but also scared easily. I'm also talking about myself, too. And you."

"I guess so. Doesn't mean I am not happy to know about that."

"I know. Now, I really don't want to do so, but I have to confine you here. I cannot let you ruin another world like Zero Dimension."

"I don't care about it." She lowers her head, keeping her legs near her. I can't blame it. Kurome has a part of Uzume. They are the same person, after all. She knows that people won't accept her, but she still hopes that…someone might… A girl can dream, and I respect that.

"Look, Kurome." I sit next to her. "You know you couldn't go out now without being attacked, right? But, I will try to give you a second chance. If I see something that might fit you, then I will let you out, and have you doing your own things, of course no bad things. Is that a good deal?"

"You…mean it? You know what I have done." She looks at me in disbelief.

"Because you thought the people you protected have betrayed you. Now, through this…" I open a few screens. "Through Uzume's eyes, you will see that all you have thought before are wrong. And if you want to have a change, then…" I leave the words hanging up.

Kurome turns silence after that. I stand up. "It's time for me to leave. If you want to talk to me, just call my name. I will be here." I gather my power on my hand…

"Why?" I stop and look at Kurome, who's looking at me now. "Why through all of this? What are you trying to imply here?"

I turn silent to pick the right words. Then: "Now, I never think that everything is good or bad entirely. I just look at what's better and what's worse, and I will pick the better side. Even though you want to destroy Hyperdimension, it's just because you're mistreated. I want to show you that, there are still more better things to do."

She turns away from me. "I will…think about it. Thank you." I smile, walk near her and rubs her hair. She looks at me in annoyance. "What are you doing?"

"Just want to see your cute side for a while. If you're lucky enough, maybe you might get the name 'Uzume' back."

She blushes and turns away. "Don't get used to that."

I smile. "I still can dream. You do, too." Then, my power activates…

* * *

And I am right behind Schwarz. "Tying up loose end, kid." That causes him to jump in surprise and hug Uzume. "Gah! Dad, don't do that!"

I hold my hands up in surrender gesture. "Sorry, sorry. Anyway, congratulation on your confession." He blushes hard. "You really think I wouldn't know? I'm your father after all."

Wanda interrupts me: "What did you do before you went back here, Kuro? 'Tying up loose end' is not a good answer."

I shrug. "Just give some talk to Kurome." Now I receive glares and surprise looks to me.

Iffy (and we're going to call her girlfriend Compy) asks me: "Wait a damn minute mister. How the hell could she still be alive? Uzume is right here."

"I disconnected their connections already. Now, Kurome is her own individual."

Compy asks in worry: "But, what do you want from her?"

"Just give her some time to think. Maybe I will give her a normal life in Research Land. Well, maybe I will let someone change her outfits to not look similar to Uzume."

Aqua: "In the meantime, she won't be our problem?"

"Not anymore. Now, after everything…Oh, right, thank you Anonydeath for your help."

The hacker just says: "Don't need to thank me, it's my own enjoyment to do. And, the Planeptune Goddesses are eager to see your friends."

"Then why didn't you lead them here?"

"You know how slow the purple girl is, right? Also, the small Oracle is still shouting at her to do her work." I have to hold a laugh when I hear that. Seriously, Plutia is still Plutia.

Kirche suddenly asks me: "I know you two are having a good talk, but can you introduce him to us? Because we have no idea who he is." The others nod as well. Ah, right, they don't know about Ultradimension.

I start the introduction: "Girls, meet Anonydeath, a famous hacker in Ultradimension. Ultradimension is just another Hyperdimension, with some differences, don't need to think much. He… what to say? He's not exactly a bad guy, but…he thinks that he's actually a maiden at heart."

"Now, now, Kuro. I'm always a pure maiden. What did I do for you to say 'I think'?" He suddenly changes to his high-pitch voice, which makes the girls cringe a bit.

I continue: "Now, Anonydeath. The girl just asked you is Kirche Zerbst, the duo with pink hair are Karin and Louise Valliere, and the duo with blue hair are Marietta and Charlotte Orleans. The adults, along with Kirche's father, are my old citizens, and the young ladies are their children."

Now that gets his attention. "Oh? The old citizens I see. Is there someone else?"

I nod. "Yes, a few more. But they're needed to protect the other world. We can't just all go back."

I look at my watch, and it's a bit late already. "You know, let's rest first. We had a long day already. I'm going to prepare an announcement to everyone. You girls can do anything you want now. See you later."

* * *

Adam's POV

"Announcing so soon? Why not letting people rest for a few days before that?"

Kuro: "Just some small preparation, nothing much." Then he just straight up disappears before us. I sigh.

"Well, that's that. Now, let us…"

"Throw a party for our victory!" Both Neptune shout out of nowhere, and soon everyone starts agreeing with them. "It's been a while since we have gathered in one place like this, let us celebrate for the whole night!" "YEAH!"

If this is an election, I have lost instantly.

Louise notices my face, and speaks to me: "Why don't you join with us? It'll be fun."

I smile to her: "I would love to. But, my family…"

"Papa!" I look to the voice's direction, and see Hiro being in Falcom's arm. I smile, walk to him and pick him up.

"Ah, my boy! How have you been when I have gone?"

"We're good, Papa!"

I smile, he's still energetic as usual. Then I turn to Falcom. "Why are you two here? I'm appreciated that you're here, but…"

"Kuro sent me an invitation here. You're going to stay here for the party right?"

… "The party…is just decided a few seconds ago. I don't even know anything about it."

We both look at each other in confusion. Then, Hiro speaks: "Mister Kuro invited us a few hours ago, saying that, if we saw a big ship coming to Planeptune's city, then we should go here instantly."

Kuro…how…I decide to facepalm, to remember that it's Kuro.

"Kuro…" I mutter the only word I could think of.

Falcom smiles in sympathy: "We all sure have a lot of hard time with him."

"We are, Falcom. Since Kuro already knew beforehand, I would say we all stay here and enjoy the party with each other."

At night

"And I nearly regretted that decision now."

Schwarz: "Not just you. All three of us do."

Brave: "But then, what do we expect? This is the girls we're talking about."

Anonydeath: "You sure are having quite a hard time with your girls."

"Like you don't…Wait, you don't actually. Why don't you try to move on with Rei?"

Anonydeath: "While she sure has her charms, she's…not exactly my type."

Right now, we're standing in the balcony, trying to cool our minds after the party. The girls sure know how to throw one with full success.

Brave asks me: "What are you going to do next? Returning to Halkeginia?"

"Until Gamindustri is in danger again, or we have done enough in there, I will be there for a while."

Schwarz: "It seems my and Weiss' mothers will stay here. Next time you get back, you should bring back more of our friends."

"Of course. Kuro would do it for sure."

Anonydeath: "Did he tell us not to go with you?"

"You want to go with us?"

Anonydeath: "Not exactly. But…considering the Goddesses, especially Neptune, would like to see how the other universes work, mostly the ones that's not Gamindustri, I think Kuro has to be careful."

I deadpan: "When was the last time he was careful?"

Everyone starts thinking about it. Then…

"Yeah, you're right." "No argument here." "The same."

I then look around. "Seriously, did he just leave us with the girls like that?"

Schwarz chuckles: "Maybe he's still not used to it, when it comes to girls' party, especially when our mothers are around."

A little silence.

Brave: "I heard the human wars are pretty bad, right? Then why didn't it happen here?"

"Maybe the Goddesses don't allow it, or…this world doesn't have the same problems with Earth-like universes."

Anonydeath: "If you have to choose, then which one you want to pick? Here, or Earth?"

"It's a hard decision. You know why."

Anonydeath nods: "I understand. I won't push it."

Schwarz suddenly asks: "About the old citizens…can you help us guiding them around?"

"Oh? A little travel around Gamindustri? Won't be a problem to me, but won't it affect our current problems?"

"Not exactly." Suddenly a screen pops up before us, and Kuro is looking at us now. "Since 1 week here is just 2 days there, it won't be a problem."

"Many things can happen in two days."

Kuro: "We still can act fast enough."

Brave asks: "Are there any good warriors in Halkeginia? I want to spar with them."

Kuro: "Hmm…the only truly powerful warriors I can think of are the Elite Hunters from my world. Other than that, none comes in my mind now. Oh, maybe Nisa."

I raise my eyebrows. "Nisa? Who is she?"

Kuro: "Just think of her as a replacement for Falcom. Like I said before, you're not in the original Gamindustri. Nisa was, but then stopped appearing in the later, replaced by Falcom. That's why the old Makers actually didn't know about Falcom."

Anonydeath: "Hey, are you going to disconnect Gamindustri and Halkeginia, or…"

Kuro: "I think I will connect them, but I won't open any portals from any places. Only some, so that none walks through it accidentally."

"Are you going to bring anyone from here with us?"

Kuro: "Uh…Plutia?"

Schwarz deadpans: "Who are you trying to scare?"

Kuro: "First: Julio. Second: The Pope."

"You have something against them?"

Kuro: "You know about Julio already, right?" I nod. That guy's determined. "The Pope, many people thought that he's Brimir reincarnated, because of his actions. Let us see how he reacts to a Goddess who can scare him without any spells."

"What about the human-elf war?"

Kuro: "We could be the ambassadors: If the elves don't want to be friends with the people in Halkeginia, then we could be theirs."

Brave nods. "It could happen. In here, there are too many types of civilians. Another race won't be a problem."

Kuro: "Exactly. And also, I could expand the world with no problem, as well."

"But then, if they don't agree on both terms?"

Kuro: "That's their choices. But I really hope they pick either one of them."

Then I remember something: "Why didn't you join the party with us?"

Kuro: "Preparing for the war."

Brave: "That's… a bit dark from you."

Kuro: "I feel like it's going to be one-side, since I'm asking Alarak for this."

… "Do you even THINK about the consequences when you asked them for help?"

Kuro: "I'm aware of that. That's why I'm talking with him about the terms of killing."

… "Like?"

Kuro: "Most likely that: Don't use his ULTIMATE on the NORMAL soldiers. And DON'T take prisoners."

"That…I think the first one is okay, but the second one…"

Kuro: "Let the Halkeginia do that, his army won't interfere. He's only assisting."

Schwarz: "I hope you don't forget something."

Kuro: "Currently, no. At least, we think so. You guys should take a rest now. See you tomorrow." We nod, as the screen flicks off. Time to hit the bed.

* * *

The next morning

"Feeling tired yet, Schwarz?"

"Yes. You?"

"Yep. Kuro?"

"Mentally exhausted."

Right now, the girls are all wandering around, amazed at what they're seeing. Can't blame them, their era is not as advanced as this world. But if there's one thing that never changes, it is: Girls are the same, no matter what, when it comes to shopping. Currently, they're dragging us to wherever catches their attentions. We're not in any positions to decline them. And not only the Halkeginia girls. The others have joined mid-way as well, and… if you go out with girls, you know the problems.

And the most troublesome problem? They are in a bikini shop, which means…

"Are you three the lucky guys to go with these pretty girls?" The shopkeeper asks us with her cheerful smile. "And I thought mister Kuro here would change into…"

Kuro: "Please, not this time. I would get killed by the others if I do so."

"Sure you do." She giggles. "Do you need something else, or you're going to wait here?"

"Maybe the later. We don't really want to interrupt their fun."

"It's your choice, sirs. Have a nice day!" Then she just walks away to help the girls picking their favorite.

Schwarz looks at his father. "Do you think the Creator will write this down?"

Kuro: "Obviously. This is a Neptunia crossover. These scenes have to be there."

"Can we skip this scene, please? I may help you guide them around, but waiting for them to shopping for too long is too much for me."

I will skip, but not before THIS.

"After…oh my God." Right now, the shopkeeper thinks it's a good idea for the girls to stand in a line right in front of us, in their new swimsuits. Should I write down this one? 'My mental is not going to handle this, stop!' Nope, too late! 'God damn it!' _You should stop right there. The guys' minds are not handling it too well._ Oh come on! Don't ruin the fun like that. _That's it. I'm doing this for them._ Oh don't you…

 _Skipping to the end of the week…_

"Thank you, T.O. I don't think I can handle it."

 _Of course. The Creator sometimes tries to go overboard like that. But still, it still happens in the original, just in different way._

"At least it won't go to public. Otherwise, my friends would tease me in no end."

 _Sometimes, being famous pays a price. Kuro knows that, so he tries to avoid being the main focus as much as possible._

"And we know why…"

"Hey Adam! It's time to go!"

"On it!"

Right now, Louise has created another World Door for us. Her skills are improving a lot, and according to both Wanda/Karin and Mina, her mana pool is vast, that's why she can use more magic than any of her friends. Though, she still needs me to be her shield, some of her spells take a bit long to cast and she's vulnerable during that.

"My boy, better be good when I'm gone again, okay?"

"OF COURSE, Papa! I won't let you down!"

I smile, rub his hair, and look at Falcom. "Sorry Falcom, once we're done, I will come back to you."

She smiles, understandingly: "I know. We will wait, just be careful."

"I will."

"And…" She giggles. "If you can, try to help Louise with her…feeling towards you."

"Oh… yyeeaahh…" I say with uncertain. During this week, Louise does envelope more feelings to me, and I know she's in that age. But, to me, I feel so wrong for so many levels…If I was just only 18, maybe I could accept her, but now…

"Don't want to interrupt you two, but we need to go back now, the spell won't last forever." Kuro walks behind me and puts his hand on my shoulder.

I turn my head to him. "Of course. Wait a second." Then back to Falcom. "I will see you again."

"Be safe out there, okay?" "I will."

* * *

Halkeginia, Tristain's Academy of Magic

"You've returned!" We meet Colbert when we walk out of the spell. "Quick! You have to follow me now!"

Kuro raises an eyebrow: "It's just two days, what could happen?"

Colbert: "Julio has sent a message to Romalia, and the Pope himself is here to 'deal with the elves'."

He has a tick mark on his head. "Did Julio do anything to the girls?"

Colbert: "Because he couldn't do anything, he sent the message."

Kuro groans in frustration. "How could he send a message that fast? The familiar rune?" He then looks at Aqua and Wanda. "Can you two back me up, please? Your names are well known in the noble's society."

Wanda nods but warns him. "The Pope's position is extremely high, so you have to be careful."

Kuro: "You think so? That guy's dead in the original, so I wouldn't think much about it."

Colbert asks him in surprise: "The Pope…died?"

Kuro waves his hand. "Something I knew, don't think about it much. Now, let us meet the Pope and his familiar."

* * *

 **Chapter 9 end!**

 **So Uzume and Schwarz now is a couple. You guys didn't see that one coming, right?**

 **And I DIDN'T EITHER! I'm being serious here, before I wrote the begin of True Ending, I had ZERO inentions for them to come close to each other. But then, while I was writing this chapter, I was also watching Senpai Blade's Megadimension Playthrough (His waifu is Uzume), and then this chapter came out like this. So...yeah...Kuro might have grandkids very soon.**

 **The Pope...I might have to ask Kuro to kill him first, since I guess Sasha is going to do so.**

 **And...The Goddesses might come to Halkeginia...See you all in the next chapters!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Like before, nothing belongs to me aside my stories and my OCs (including SI)**

 **So, this is chapter 10. Take a while to do it, since the holiday is near, so more time with my family.**

 **To balot55: Been a while since your last review. Yes, the last chapter is a bit too much note. I will avoid it more. Also, if you want to read it more comfortable, imagine like this: You are watching a show, where I, The Creator, am showing the story, and occasionally talk with the characters in it. Kind of like Deadpool, if you like to think that way.**

 **To RedBurningDragon:**

 **Wow, it's a coincidence. I know Nisa's outfit is like Laharl, but I never know about the game, and about the Female Laharl. Maybe you can imagine Nisa being her for easier reading.**

 **I just find it happy and funny, respectively. Disturbed, not so much, since this is Neptunia we're talking about.**

 **I don't think I would let Nepgya appear. I feel like she's a joke character, even though she's as popular as Nepgear.**

 **Dropping pudding on an army...in some worlds with light-heart moments like Neptunia, it works well. But with Halkeginia, it's not. BUT, I might make an arrangement for it.**

 **No, the Pope here is pretty much alive. I was talking about the original, meaning the Novel and the Anime, where Vittorio dies.**

 **Yep, good luck teaching Brimir's believes to Neptunia's characters.**

 **With the reviews out of the way, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Kuro's POV

Are you serious? How the hell could Vittorio travel through Gallia WITHOUT being shot down? Or if not in the air, but not being stopped in the middle of the way either? Is his status really that high that he would not be stopped by literally everyone? Or it's just that Joseph hasn't noticed yet? I doubt he went here by a carriage, it would take more than two days to get from anywhere in Romalia to here.

Uh, Kuro? We forgot something. We made a time skip, so it's actually four to five days after Vittorio received the message.

'Oh…Oh right, I completely forgot.'

Anyway, we follow Colbert to the main yard of the Academy, where a lot of students are gathering around already. And when we manage to push through (more likely the students recognized me and Colbert and they let us through), we see Old Osmond and Malthida standing in between the Romalians and the elf duo. Lyrica and Cave are standing with them, prepare to protect them at anytime.

Old Osmond: "While we appreciate your concern to our school's safety, we can promise they wouldn't cause harm to us. They even helped us a lot during this time of war already."

Vittorio: "It doesn't mean they're not a threat to us. You know that they're our enemies, right? Then why do you try to protect them?"

Malthida: "These two are proof that we don't have to call out the war with the elves. We could have associated with each other without any conflicts."

Julio: "You're speaking nonsense here. If it could happen, then why are we having wars with them through 6000 years already?"

Sasha tries to talk back: "Then why did you just attack us without any peaceful conversations? All the time we met was just pointing swords to each other."

Vittorio snorts: "And let you attack us first? There's no way we're letting you having any moves before us."

"And that's why I don't like you at all." I speak out loud, as they finally recognize us coming back. "Seriously, you are a Pope, and yet you're acting like an A-hole here. Can't you just calm down and give out some proper talk?"

And he turns to me. "Just who are you? Don't you see we're having an important conversation here? And don't use those filthy words in front of us."

I point my thumb to the girls. "I say what I want to say. And, they are my friends. And you're trying to kill them. Is that not enough for me to stop you two?"

"Your friends, huh? You know that, siding with them is considered heresy to Brimir…"

"Why would it be heresy if I never believe in the guy in first place?" I retort back instantly.

That causes both Julio and Vittorio to gasp in surprise. Some girls also do the same, but then remember who I am, so they return back to normal.

The Pope recovers, and nearly shouts at him: "You…don't believe in Brimir? Where are you from?"

"Does it matter? What matters now is that you are trying to take my friends away from me, so I will intervene. Now, you have two options: either you go back to Romalia, let Julio here to study if you want to, or we can just stand here and do nothing. Your choice."

Tension is in the air. Both Romalians (or, at least I assume Julio is one) are staring at me like I'm a maniac, while the others just hold their breaths to see their reactions. Can't blame them, I just committed an action that neither of them would think about, not to say do it. The ones who know me too well just watch what's going to happen next.

Then, Julio was about to pull his gun out when Vittorio stops him. "Wasting a bullet for a guy like him worth nothing." He looks at me. "I will stay here to teach you about Brimir, if you never heard about…"

"Yeah, yeah…Brimir's great blah blah Our savior blah blah. Like I would hear it from you." I just decide to mock him. I'm not a religious person, and I will never be. Oh, and I'm not saying I'm against ALL religions, I just don't focus my faith in one.

Clearly he is offended by my actions. "You will regret this. Julio, keep an eye on him." His familiar nods in agreement.

Right before Vittorio goes away, I ask him: "Hey. How did you get here anyway? I thought the world is at war now?"

He turns his head back a bit. "Why should I tell you?"

"You want to answer or not, I don't care. I would get the answer sooner or later."

He snorts a bit, then walks away.

When he's completely out of my view… "I will take that as a no." And I look back at Julio. "Seriously, calling your master here just for this is…"

"It's important. I thought you're just trying to act like before, but you're so arrogant to admit you've never heard of Brimir."

"That's because I don't care about him, that's all. I may appreciate his help for humanity, but he just raised a war to a race we should have been friends with. So, no respect for him, yet." And I just walk away, letting Julio standing their, agape at what I just said.

"Do you think it's a bit…harsh to him?" Adam asks me while following me back to our room here.

"I have to make sure he should know Brimir is just a man, not a God. Seriously, worshipping someone for 6000 years and blinding EVERYONE that makes this world wouldn't go any further is not a good thing."

Louise looks hurt because of what I said about Brimir, but she also knows that I'm right. But then… "Then why did your people worship the Goddesses for…"

"Not all of them, Louise. The Goddesses only offer protection. What the citizens do is on them."

Charlotte: "But then, you are friends with them."

"Because being a Goddess would bore them to no end. And I know a few people who might get crazy ideas who's shut-in for too long."

That explains something to them, or at least I take their silence as an understanding. But Aqua asks: "Then, what should we do now?"

"For now, let us check the war from our room. Then you might return with Wanda back to Valliere's Mansion. The Sisters and their father really want to meet you. And…" Everything I want to say next fades to the void as I look at what in front of me after I opened the door, and all color on my face drains away.

* * *

Charlotte's POV

Why does Kuro suddenly stop? I decide to look inside, and see that everything is still in place, as I can remember. But then, one thing catches my curiosity: Some girl with messy purple hair is sleeping on the table. Not exactly on it, just only her head on her arms on the table. In her hand, there's a doll that looks similar to the Goddess of Planeptune, Neptune is she?

"Uh, Kuro? Why did you stop?" Saito asks him, still haven't seen the room yet. Kuro just points a finger to the room. Everyone gets curious and looks into the room. And they still look okay after seeing the girl, except Saito who's looking back at Kuro, with his hands covering his mouth to not let out a laugh. Kuro then puts his finger on his lips, signaling us to be silent, as he closes the door, extremely gently.

"Why…" His voice is shaking a bit. Seriously, it's just a girl, what could possibly go wrong?

Saito snickers: "Well, your idea is accepted, apparently…"

Kuro shouts, with extremely low tone: "I said so, doesn't mean I TRULY meant it, okay? Now, to all of you who don't know yet…" He turns to us. "Normally, I would just let you do whatever in my house, I don't that cruel. However, if Plutia is here, then, I have to give a ground rule here: DON'T, EVER, ANGER, HER. It's not just for your safety, but for the others' as well." This is one of the few times I could see he's in fear. The first time was with his wives, and then to this girl.

Both my mother and Louise's mother are having questioning looks on the face. Madam Karin asks first: "Uh, is that really important?"

Kuro: "IT IS. Believe me."

Mother asks: "Then, can you tell me why you feared her? You fear your wives, that's reasonable, but this girl?"

Kuro: "Tell me, do you remember Arfoire? The bad one?"

Both adults nod. "So?"

"This girl…" He points his thumb to where this Plutia supposedly is. "Can break her by torturing her for a few, hours, straight."

That drops temperature around us. Now we see why he's afraid of her. Even though he's basically unbeatable, doesn't mean he doesn't fear everything.

"Then…" Kirche speaks up. "What should we do now?"

Kuro: "For now, just don't anger her. If you see her suddenly being uncomfortable at something, stop it instantly. That's the best way to deal with it. If not, try to talk sweet with her."

Louise: "Talk sweet? What do you mean?"

Kuro sighs: "Just…let us meet her. She should wake up now, and I have to call mini Histy to ask what happened."

Everyone nods, as Kuro opens the door, walks in, and starts nudging the sleeping girl.

"Hiiissty, five…more minuuuutttesss…" She is still trying to sleep. And she speaks…so slow.

"Wake up, Plutia. You're not in Gamindustri anymore." Kuro nudges her a bit harder.

The girl pushes herself up, rubs her right eye as she looks around. "Why do you wake me up, Histy?" Then, she realizes this is not her room. "Uh…Histy, this is not our room." Then, she turns to her left to see Kuro. "Histy? When did you become so big?" Apparently she is not fully awake yet.

Kuro just chuckles and pins her cheek gently. "Look who's visiting you, Plutia."

"Auuu…" She rubs the place Kuro just pinned her, and looks carefully at Kuro again, then smiles. "OH! It's Kury. Long time no seeeee!"

I nearly bust out a laugh, as the others are trying their best not to do so. Kury? Kuro is cool, but Kury is hilarious.

Kuro just shakes his head at her adorableness. "Yes, it's me. But, may I ask, how did you get into my house? I thought you're at Ultradimension."

Plutia tilts her head in confusion. "Your house?" She then looks at her right, not noticing us yet. "Right…It looks like your house…But why am I here?"

Kuro: "You…don't know either…"

Plutia nods: "Uh-huh…I was just sleeping in my room…and then you woke me up…and I'm here…"

Kuro sighs, and says one word. "Creator…"

During the one week we're in Gamindustri, we found out who this Creator is, and at first, we're extremely disturbed by his existence. But, our mothers actually knew about him, and just let him watch all over us, it just…felt not right. Then, Kuro explained even more that, something the Creator could do a lot of subtle things that neither of us, even Kuro who's basically the Creator, could know beforehand. But, since he only changes stuffs for greater good, so we let it slide, for the time being.

And then, one of his subtle doings is this, by bringing someone that could traumatize everyone to Halkeginia. But that's our assumption based on Kuro's warning. Right now, looking at the real person, we can't imagine how she could even torture someone. She looks like she can't even hurt a fly.

Plutia looks clueless now. "Creator?" Does she not know, or doesn't she understand what Kuro is saying?

Kuro shakes his head. "It's just Creator messing around, Plutia. Now…You're not in Planeptune right now, and not in Gamindustri."

Plutia, still as slow as ever, asks: "Not Gamindustri? So I'm in Neppy's place?" Neppy? Maybe Neptune. For some reasons not so many people in Gamindustri can speak her name, despite the fact her name written on the paper is easy to pronounce.

 _That's just some common things in Gamindustri, Charlotte. You should get used to it._ 'Maybe.'

Kuro: "No, not her place either. We're in a completely different universe."

Plutia looks even more clueless now, and for some reasons we also can see a big question mark above her head. Maybe since we know about Gamindustri, this stuff just appears out of nowhere.

Kuro just chuckles and pins her cheek again. "Anyway, why don't you say hi to my new friends?"

Now she looks behind Kuro and notices us. "New friends?" Then she looks directly at me. "Is that Blanny?" Blanny?

"Oh?" Kuro looks back and understands who she's talking about, as he smiles. "Well, she's not Blanc, but they're similar. Charlotte, can you?"

I nod, and walk closer to them, as Plutia looks at me curiously. "My name is Charlotte Orleans, nice to meet you Plutia."

After the introduction, we immediately get nicknamed by Plutia. Me being Chary, Kirche to Kirchy, Louise to Louisy. The ones who don't get the nicknames are the ones she gets their names right, or she hasn't found a good nickname for them.

And then we just discuss about the war, while Plutia just stays at the other side, doing her own thing.

"Now we know Germania is going to assist us in dealing with Reconquista, we don't really have to scare about the lack of military forces. But then, there's no guarantee that all of the soldiers will come back alive. And after that, the citizens might not have a place to come back. Do you have any ideas?"

Madam Karin says first: "We won't fight on civilians' zones, that's our subtle agreement in Halkeginia. Even if we want to conquer the world, we need to take care of the people first."

Kuro: "We're talking about Reconquista here. Not sure if they would follow it. Now…" He looks back to the map of Halkeginia. We're still marveled by the advance devices Kuro's world could offer. Could it be like this to our world if our predecessors were not so arrogant? Back to Kuro. "If my memories are right, they will attack Tarbes first, since it could be an advantage to take over Tristain first. My private army will evacuate the citizens there, but I want to ask your opinions about pushing the Rebels back or not."

Karin: "I would say push them back. The sooner we put their feet off our ground, the better."

Kuro nods, then opens a screen and types a message, probably to his friend in the village. He waits a bit, then the screen shows that he gets the response. "Looks like Nisa got it. Now, the next thing to do is to deal with Cromwell. He, along with Joseph, probably knows about my identity already. They might try something to fight me, or hurt you to make me surrender. I don't really scare about it, none of them can hurt you anyway."

My mother asks: "How can you be sure about it?"

Kuro suddenly pulls out his revolver and shoots at Saito. A hexagon appears before him and blocks the bullet. Saito understands why Kuro did so. "The immorality system, I take it?"

Kuro nods. "Now, with that out of our worry list…Leave Cromwell to me, I need to take back the ring of Andvari to the Water Spirit. Is that okay with you all?" No answer. "I will take it as a yes. Then, once we deal with their attack, we will regroup with the Albion Loyalists siting their temporary defense at La Rochelle and take back Albion. After that…your choice on how to use the land. But, I think James and Wales might…"

Karin interrupts: "I think Prince Wales and Princess Henrietta might have some exchanges with that. We know they have some kind of relationships. But, what about Albrecht?"

Kuro: "I asked him to cancel the marriage and he agreed."

Kirche looks a bit surprised. Kuro looks at her. "What's wrong?" "Uh, it's…my family knows Albrecht for a while, and we know he wouldn't give up on something so easily."

Kuro: "Well, I said that I would reunite us with the elves, and he just rolled with it. Also, he said that he didn't want to ruin the relationship between the Valliere and the Zerbst, so…"

Kirche smiles. "Sounds like him alright. I guess it's a good sight."

Kuro: "Of course. It's always a good sight to me when people get along with each other."

I ask him. "Then, after that, what are you going to do?"

Kuro: "Hmm… perhaps, I will help you deal with Joseph and get the throne back to you. You deserve it after all. But, I'm sure you don't want to sit on the throne all day, do you?" I nod.

Louise suddenly says: "I don't want to interrupt your plans, but I need to rule myself out of it for a while."

Kuro has a question look on his face. "Why?"

"Before Henrietta left to go back to the Capital, she asked me to go undercover in the city to find corrupted Nobles and bring them to justice. She asked me to bring Saito with me, and you, if you agreed, but she also said that two of us are needed, since you might stay in the front line."

Kuro nods. "I understand. It's your friend's request, I won't go against it. Just be careful. But when will you start?"

Louise: "Probably just weekends from now on. The World Door spell is convenient."

Karin wants to say something, but stops herself. If I guess right, she wants to stop her, out of her mother's instinct. But, after what she have seen Louise doing so far, and how grow up she is, I think Madam won't be so overprotective anymore.

Kuro: "It is, of course. Now…"

"HEEYY! How long are you going to speak?" Plutia suddenly asks us out loud. As we turn our attention to her, she surprises all of us by the numerous dolls on the table. Each of them resembles us in every detail. Even to the weapons we normally use, staffs, swords, wands and such.

Louise picks up the doll that looks like her, examines it in marvel. "It's…so detailed and pretty. Why did you do it?"

Plutia smiles. "Welllll…" Still the same Plutia. "I make one for every of my friends. Do you like it?"

Louise smiles. "I love it. But then, where are you going to keep all of them?"

Plutia: "I was planning to give it to you all."

My mother looks at Kuro. "Does she do this often?"

He nods. "One time, she flooded the whole Basilicom with her dolls alone. We took nearly three hours just to get it in order."

That makes all of us blink. A Basilicom is extremely big. How could Plutia make that much dolls to flood it?

He notices our faces, and he waves his hand: "Just don't think much about it. It's Plutia." Like how everything else goes too perfectly and everyone points it to you instantly.

I suddenly remember: "Wait a second…All of us have hammerspace right? Then why didn't you dump all of the dolls into one's, and just put them in the right place?"

Kuro: "Not fun, to be exact. And it might make us lazy. And she's already too slow." Then: "Oh right, I forgot. Better call the mini Histy before she goes haywire." He opens another screen and…

"Kuro! It's an emergency!" An even smaller Histoire shouts, with worry written all over her face.

Kuro interrupts her: "Calm down, mini Histy. Plutia is here."

Mini Histoire stops, and her face turns into surprised and confusion. "I didn't even say anything. How did you…"

Kuro: "The fact you did it too many times makes it dull. And I'm calling you because of her as well. SO, may I ask what are you afraid of? Her not being there, or her running around and rampaging everything?"

Mini Histoire calms down a bit, just a bit. "Both, I'm afraid. She's having a lot of paperwork here. Then she suddenly disappeared…Why did you call her to your place?"

Kuro raises his hands up: "Hey, this time's not me. The Creator just brought her here."

She burrows her eyebrows. "Why?"

Kuro: "I don't know. Scaring someone we hate here?"

She turns to normal. "Someone you hate?"

Kuro: "Just some stuffs here, you have enough work to worry about already."

She relaxes. Then she asks: "But then, when will you return her back?"

Kuro: "I'm…not sure actually. Maybe soon. Oh, you can throw the work to us."

Histoire looks relieved, but: "I really need your help, but I don't want to…"

Kuro: "Nonsense, you're my friend. Just let me help you."

Histoire looks at something behind her, then… "Okay then…"

Kuro then suddenly being crushed by piles of paper falling on top of him. I take a glance to see what the paper is, and give up when I can't read them. Kuro pokes his head up out of the paper, looks around him, then looks back to Histoire. "How long has Plutia stopped working?"

"It's just a week of work. Luckily Plutia has worked more than before, thanks to you, but it's still a lot."

Kuro smiles: "My help has paid well. I will call you later, okay?" Histoire just nods, and the screen flicks off. He then looks at Plutia. "Plutia, let's work for now, okay?"

Plutia pouts: "Aww…I want to play…"

Kuro: "Then how about after we work, I turn into Shanghai and play with you?"

Plutia instantly shines up. "Yay! Let us work, and then we can play!" Then two of them just focus to the paperwork, nearly forget that they're here. Nearly, because: 'You guys can do whatever you want now. I will be here for a while.' We decide to go out for some fresh air.

But when Saito opens the main door, we greet Julio instantly. Saito asks: "What are you doing here?"

Julio: "The Pope requires Kuro's attention immediately."

"For what reason?"

Julio: "You know why. The Pope is extremely angry because that person just disrespected someone we worshipped since from a long time ago. And you all should be on our side in this matter. Why didn't you react to his statement before?"

If it was before we met Kuro, we would have defended Brimir instantly. But now…

Madam Karin steps forward. "Julio…If it's in the past, and the one who said it was not Kuro, then we would be on your side. But now, upon hearing the truth about Brimir, we cannot trust every word coming from him, or at least we assumed it's his words."

Julio is surprised, again. "What the…Madam Valliere, how could you speak those words? If the Pope can hear it, your family would…"

My mother interrupts him. "The Pope could do nothing against. If he tries to do anything, Kuro will stop him instantly."

Julio: "And why do you think he can do anything to the Pope?"

"Because we know he could do ANYTHING to the Pope if he wants to. Now, if you excuse us, we're going out now." When all of us go out, Saito closes the door behind us and follows, leaving a stunned Julio behind.

* * *

Later, the main yard

Montmorency: "Where is Kuro?"

"Paperwork."

She, along with Katie, Lyrica, Cave, Sasha and Tiffania join us in the tea table. She and Katie have been friends after the 'incident' with Guiche. After a while, Montmorency is the one to speak first.

Montmorency: "Him? Doing paperwork? Sounds a bit absurd to me."

Kirche: "Actually, he is helping a Goddess doing it. It's not his."

Katie: "OH! A Goddess is here? What is she like?"

Louise sips her tea. "I feel like she's a lazy version of me, or like Neptune."

Sasha: "Lazy?"

Kirche: "She has a bit of Neptune's appearance, but she's painfully slow, it shows in both her actions and her voice. And from what we heard from the Oracle, she's having a week of working waiting for her to finish. That's why Kuro is helping her now."

Tiffania: "Maybe she should transform, so we can judge her better."

Saito shoots down the idea instantly. "It's better not to let her do so. The whole reason he's trying to comfort her is to not let her transform. It's for your safety to not know about it early."

That perks all of our interest in this girl. Cave asks: "Is it so crucial for her to NOT transform at all? I mean, she needs to meet her citizens once a while, right?"

Saito: "No. Even when people want to meet their Goddess, they always want to meet her like that, not her CPU Form."

Lyrica is the only one who isn't as curious as us. "Is…is she that scary?"

Saito: "Eh…Well, most of the time…Maybe… I don't know. I haven't interacted with her much."

"Then why don't you tell us all you know, so that we can defend against her?" Vittorio, along with Julio, walks towards us during our talk. "If she's that dangerous, then we need to get rid of her as soon as possible."

Saito looks extremely annoyed. "Get rid of her? Like you have any authority to do so. And why do you REALLY think we're afraid of her because she's dangerous?"

Vittorio: "The fact you're saying it makes her sound like a dangerous beast." That makes not only Saito, but all of us grit our teeth in frustration. Sure, we may think she's dangerous in her own way, but we never see her as anything lower than human. And that man just crosses that line. Even if he has high rank in our society, doesn't mean he can speak whatever he wants.

Saito is not having any of that, as he stands up, summons his katana out and points it to the Pope, which Julio reacts back by pulling his own sword and standing between the two. "Now, I may not have a best impression for her, but it's not the reason for hating her like you do. She's our friend, and that's enough for us to maintain our relationship. Luckily, she is not here. If she is, you will have a severed beat down by her." He's releasing the deadly aura that nearly matches my mother's power.

Vittorio and Julio are slightly surprised that Saito is overpowering them in a point. Then, Vittorio speaks: "How noble of you, defending your friend like that. But, you're pointing at a very important person here. If the words come out, your head might roll before the citizens of Tristain."

Saito: "Psst. Like they can do anything to me and Kuro. Now…" He pulls his sword back. "If you don't have anymore business here, then go. You've already ruined our time enough."

Vittorio: "Actually, I'm looking for the Duchess de Orleans." He looks at my mother. "I'm surprised that the Duchess of Gallia is here, in the land of Tristain. What's your reason to be here? And I thought you are…"

She shoots an angry look at Vittorio. "Poisoned?" Vittorio looks a bit surprised at my mother's expression, but he nods anyway. "No thanks to you that I was saved. And I'm not going to stay at the prison I was contained for these years anymore. Not until I have finished my business with Joseph."

Vittorio: "How are you going to overthrow him? You lost everything."

My mother smiles now. "I lost everything, but I gained back even more. My daughter…" She rubs my hair a bit. "And my friends here. They will help me with it."

Vittorio: "Hmm. With just a few people, do you hope too high for a miracle to happen?"

My mother says, with full certain: "I don't need to hope. I know so."

The Pope doesn't ask about it anymore. Instead… "Now, where is this Kuro? I need to teach him a lesson about disrespecting Brimir." And he becomes even more annoying.

"He's not here. He's having some paperwork to do."

Julio raises an eyebrow. "What kind of paperwork needs him?"

"The kind that we're directly responsible to." Kuro, while carrying a sleeping Plutia on his back, walks towards us. "Seriously, don't you have any better things to do, other than bickering with us?"

Saito looks surprised for some reason. "Kuro, I thought those are one week of work? Have you finished them?"

Kuro nods. "Yep. Turns out it's just some basic works, nothing too serious."

Madam Karin: "Then, why don't people ask the Guild instead?"

Kuro: "They still need her approval. Combined with my help, the citizens will surely be happy with it." Then he just puts Plutia down, who just then leans onto me. I couldn't help but smile, she's like a human-size doll, cute and such.

Kirche asks: "I thought you said you and she was going to play after work."

Kuro chuckles: "It's just Plutia. She gets sleepy quite easily."

Katie slowly walks to her and runs her hand on Plutia's hair. "She looks so cute. How could she be that bad?"

Kuro turns to Saito: "You told them the details?"

Saito shakes his head: "No. Only hints. They haven't known much about **her** yet."

Kuro: "It's for the best."

"HEY! Don't ignore us like that." Julio shouts to Kuro. Both he and the Pope are running out of patience now. "How could you be so disrespect and arrogant like that?"

Kuro: "I have my own way to respect someone. Also, you're not earning any of my respect. And, I heard you two are not in very good terms with the citizens, so…"

Vittorio interrupts: "Not in the good terms? Where are you getting that information?"

Kuro: "Sorry, wrong choice of words. You did help the citizens, and they appreciate it. But, sometimes, your methods of helping are, based on how the people feel and I'm using my own words here, harsh and not very…family friendly." Now that's a term we don't get it at all. Friendly, yes we understand. But family friendly?

Vittorio: "I do what I must do to help them. If they don't want it, then…"

Kuro: "I didn't say they don't want it. I just say you need to change your ways of helping. Some people are scared because of your current actions."

Julio snorts: "They should be. They're talking about the Pope of Romalia."

Kuro: "Did you even…"

"Puuruu… why are you so loud, Kuro?" Plutia suddenly wakes up without any warning. Kuro immediately lowers his tone and apologies her: "Oh, I'm sorry. But you need to wake up too. You said you want to play right?"

Plutia then smiles dreamy: "Yeah, I did say that." Then, she notices Katie's hand still running through her hair. "Uh, what are you doing miss?"

Katie immediately pulls her hand back. "I'm sorry. It's just, your hair is so smooth. I'm a bit jealous with you."

Plutia just giggles: "Aww, thank you miss. You can continue if you want." Katie smiles and starts her work again, which Plutia happily accepts it.

Kuro sighs in relieve: "Thanks Katie. Now…" He turns to the Romalians. "If you have anything to say, say it. If not, please leave."

The two don't say anything at first. Then Vittorio starts walking away, but not without saying: "You will answer every question from me, once I finish dealing with the elves. Julio, let's go." Julio just nods and follows him as well.

Aww, why did you have to shoo them away like that?

Kuro deadpans: "I don't want traumatize literally EVERYONE here. Also, even though they're not too good, doesn't mean they deserve to get wrecked by Sadie."

"Sadie?" That's all of us, except Saito, asking Kuro. Kuro points to Plutia, who looks like she's about to sleep, again, during Katie's handy-work. "The nickname is actually from Neptune, but many also use it to differ her from her." That sentence makes no sense Kuro.

Well, let's skip this scene and…

Kuro: "No, no, no. No running away, dude. We still have a few more lines here."

Like? Are you trying to bring Sadie up?

Kuro: "Of course not. But, aren't you going to say goodbye to Wanda and Aqua? They're going back to the mansion?"

…You're right. Hope you two have a nice weekend.

Kuro deadpans: "Really?"

Both persons being mentioned laugh at that. My mother recovers first: "You two are the same, after all. It's good enough. Thanks for your concern."

Madam Karin says: "Thank you. Now, Louise, can you take us back?"

Louise nods. "Of course, Mother. World Door."

* * *

Kuro's POV

Time for some little rest. It will be a couple of weeks before the war finally begins. I always forgot the real war consumes a lot of time, unlike in Gamindustri.

"Zzz…" And here goes Plutia. If it's not for her CPU Form, we would say, without a doubt, she's one of the most adorable things in the world. I smile and nudge her a bit. "Now, now, Plutia. You shouldn't sleep that much."

"Mooo…Kury, let me sleep…" So cute!

The ones who don't know about her CPU form have their hearts nearly melt as well. I shake my head and bring up Plutia and Charlotte, each in one hand, the later yelps in surprise, and start walking towards my house.

Saito: "Uh…what are you doing?"

I turn back. "Cuddling time."

He deadpans: "Dude, can you make it less… creepy?"

I pout. "They are CUTE! I want to cuddle with them!"

Saito: "YOU'RE FREAKING OVER 60 DUDE!"

"DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T ENJOY THE CUTENESS, OKAY?" Note here, the cap doesn't mean we're shouting.

But, our 'peaceful' moment is interrupted as I have to raise my Last Defender to block the shot coming from Julio. That shot wakes up Plutia, as I turn serious and look at the duo. "What's the reason for you to shoot me like that?"

Vittorio: "You're trying to kidnap them, so we're here to stop it."

"How the hell can you kidnap your own friends? I know I didn't leave a good impression to you, doesn't mean you could just follow me and try to make me yours, okay? Just leave okay?"

Vittorio now points his wand towards me. "I don't like pulling out my rank to deal with this petty problem, but…you're under arrest for disrespecting our Savior Brimir, and attempting to kidnapping people. You will come with us for your punishment."

Dude, you just dug your own grave.

"Did someone mention about punish?" Nope, we're not saving you now, Pope. You're doomed.

I put down Plutia and Charlotte, as the former looks at the Romalians. "What kind of punishment are you going to do?" We learnt in Ultradimension that, every word that's related to her CPU personality will trigger her. Vittorio just did so, and… "And why on Kuro?" She's not the same airhead like before, she's 'smiling'.

Vittorio and Julio don't know who they're talking to, as Julio speaks: "Why not? He dared to mock our Savior, and try to take you somewhere out of your friends' protection. For his punishment, we will do it according to the law of Romalia."

She's keeping that dangerous smile. "I see. And who's this Brimir you're talking about? Because I would make sure he'll vanish out of your mind, and replace me to his place."

I gently grab Charlotte's shoulders and slowly pull her back to our group. They are looking a bit confused at Plutia's sudden change of behavior. Except Saito, who's having his hand right on his face now. He asks me: "Did the Creator just do that?" "Yes, he just did."

Lyrica probably notices the dangerous aura Plutia is releasing, as she asks me shakily: "What…what happened to her?"

"The Pope just triggered her other personality. You'll see." I pick up my previous teacup and sip it. "Just wait and see."

And soon enough, the Pope and Julio probably have said something mean to her, and a light occurs.

You know what it is.

"You little dogs sure have some barks in you. Let's see if your bites can be as good, once I break all of your bones!" Iris Heart brings out her whip-sword, which is not extended yet, and points it to the duo. The aura she's showing makes any weak-minded people (like the students, Lyrica and Tiffania) cower in fear. The ones who's not reacting too much are Cave, who's trying to calm Lyrica down, Sasha trying the same to Tiffania, Saito and me who are expecting this. Julio, who's surprised and a bit afraid, attempts to pull the trigger of his gun, but Iris Heart just whips the gun away with her extended sword, causing him to grab his hand in pain, since she hit him in the hand. Vittorio instantly casts a spell and throws it to Iris Heart. It would be effective if: he's a Gamindustrian, she's still Plutia, and the Immortality System wasn't working like when I and Saito sparred. Unlucky for the Pope, all three of them ARE NOT available. And because of that, the spell just hits the hexagon barrier and vanishes.

"Hmm. Looks like your work is as marvelous as usual Kury." Yeah, for some reasons she's still using that nickname when she's Iris Heart, but she still normally calls Neptune Neppy, so that's maybe the case. She suddenly turns and winks at me. "I will make sure I reward you handsomely later." Now ALL eyes focus on me, as I sigh. "Plutia, just…never mind. Carry on." Knowing Sadie, I should not talk back to her now.

She smirks. "Good boy." Then she turns back to the Romalians. "Now, to you, naughty ones…"

Yeah, you know what happens, so…

Oh, and the air is filled with the smell of burned grasses wherever Iris Heart whacks her blade to.

Saito asks me: "Should we know what 'reward' she would give you?"

I deadpan: "You think I can guess? But, if she turns back later, maybe just a bath. Nothing too serious. In this form though…"

Charlotte asks me, a bit shakily: "Is this…the reason why you didn't tell us about…"

"Yep! This is the other side of Plutia, the CPU of Ultradimension's Planeptune, Iris Heart."

All of them now see the point of not letting her transform now. Then Montmorency asks: "Wait, I thought the other purple hair girl is the CPU of Planeptune?"

"Hyperdimension's Planeptune. This girl is the leader of the parallel dimension and their roles are the same."

Sasha looks at Iris Heart, searches for all details, then turns to me: "How could people let her be their leader? I mean, look at her, she's a dominatrix."

"The problem is, she does actually care about people, but the way she shows it is… a bit extreme. She tends to traumatize both allies and enemies, and if she's in this mood, well…pretty sure the duo won't walk away in good condition…at least in their bodies. Not sure about their mental though, maybe they can get through."

Lyrica is basically using Cave as her personal shield. "Can…can we calm her down by any means?"

"Eh…no. Maybe if Katie manages to sweet talk to her like before, then…"

Katie widens her eyes: "Why me?"

"She's mostly into girls like you. Just…don't stay on her bad side." She timidly nods. Yeah, predictable reactions from anyone who first meets Iris Heart.

Oh right, nearly forgot. "Do you guys have classes in the afternoon?" I receive a nod from everyone. 'Sometimes we totally forgot about something so common.'

Yeah, walking around with the carefree CPUs causes that problem.

'Should we stop the chapter after Plutia's torture segment?'

One, I'm NOT writing that down. This story is T-rated. Second, maybe more. Do we miss anything?

'From what I remember, no. Oh, right, the Ancient Dragon.'

That thing? Shouldn't you just one-shot it for good?

'Do you even KNOW when it will appear?'

Uh, let me take a quick look.

'Don't answer me yet. Don't want to spill the fun.'

"Ara, what are you two boys talking about to ignore me like that?" I turn my attention back to Iris Heart, then to her behind. Right now, both Julio and Vittorio are being tied up and lay face-first on the ground. Multiple bruises are on their bodies, but no blood. Yeah, all of us are still dumbfounded by how she could deal that much damage to anyone with her BLADE without DRAWING BLOOD. But then again, Neptunia's kill counts are near zero, except my old world.

I look back at Iris Heart. "Sorry for ignoring you before. May I ask if you asked me anything?"

Iris Heart: "I want to teach these boys a private lesson, and I remember you have a room specific for that reason."

Before ANYONE would say anything about it: "That room is for your desire, it's not specific for any particular reason. It's in the basement, you can use it."

Iris Heart giggles and suddenly kisses me on the cheek, which makes me blush, and then drags the two guys away. "This is just a small one. Just wait for the bigger present I will give you." With her voice right now, it's not helping me diverting the glares to me.

Vittorio shouts at me: "Tell her to unhand us immediately! Or all of you will face consequences!"

I sigh. "Sorry dude. Other than the fact I'm scared of her more than you or Brimir, you're just shouting empty threat. Goodbye, and try to keep your mind clear, okay?"

Julio is not in any position to say anything, so Vittorio just keeps shouting: "When the Queen of Tristain finds out about this, I will be happy to see all of you being hanged in front of all citizens!"

That would just ignite Iris Heart's 'passion' to punish you all.

And I have the experience, first hand.

Iris Heart just smirks seductively, as she pulls the Pope up. "You can still shout like that? Better keep it for our little time with each other. Because I will make sure you will scream with your fullest when I start breaking EACH. OF. EVERY. SINGLE. BONE. ON. YOUR. BODY!" Then she lets him fall back to the ground and starts dragging him again.

Should I change the story's rate to M now?

'Eh…maybe just keep it. You won't write it down, right? I don't think it'll be the problem if we only mention it.'

Hope so. Please don't hit me administrators.

After Iris Heart is completely out of sight, Lyrica slowly sits back to her chair, shakily picks her cup up and sips it to calm down. Montmorency and Katie just hug each other during the process, and only release it just now. An awkward moment…

"Wow, I just woke up, and I saw a dominatrix. You sure attract a lot of strange people, both of you." Derf picks this moment to speak up. Oh, and his new design is kind of like Murasama (your choice to think which Murasama). It's cool in its own way.

Sasha just sighs at his remark. "First Brimir, then T.O and Kuro, and now her. Just who are we going to meet next? A straight psychopath?"

"That…might fit with Joseph, so yeah."

Sasha looks at me like 'I don't want you to say it out loud'. "Anyway, I hope you know why I put the ground rule, right?" All of them nods furiously, slightly traumatized by the scene happened before them. Slightly, because they did not experience it directly.

Kirche then asks: "What will happen after this, then? I'm sure the Pope and Julio won't let this go unanswered."

I shrug. "Probably just go and talk to Henrietta's mother about this fiasco. We're in Tristain, so he can't do anything here."

Charlotte: "But you're my familiar, technically. So this might be Gallia's problems as well."

"Would it be a problem if we're going to overthrow Joseph?" She thinks a bit, then shakes her head. "That's what I thought. Oh, and…we should head to the dining room now. It's almost noon." I say that, but I walk right to the direction of my house.

Saito: "Wait, where are you going? The dining room is that way."

"I'm going to make something for Plutia. Probably will need some after her teaching."

* * *

An hour later, my house

*Sigh* "Luckily IF and Compa taught me a bit more about cooking, otherwise I would make the meal too simple."

I just finished making lunch for Plutia, and put a spell on the food so that they would be still hot until she starts to eat them. I just leave them there and go to the big sofa in my main room, then just lay on it and start dripping into my sleep. Sometimes, taking a short nap in the mid-day is very nice after working for a while. During the sleep, I decide to go through the plan in here. Now, I just have to prevent the armies of Reconquista to capture Tarbes, which I think I have to join the fight since I'm not confident that Alarak may hold on his own. If both the Zerg, led by Kerrigan herself, and a small Terran force can't even win without any property, then I will have to use even more force to fight. Luckily I actually know this battle first hand, if not, Nisa will NOT forgive me for letting another human continent fall again. Then, after that, to La Rochelle. It would be a freaking one-day full of travelling to Albion, so I have to make sure ALL necessary forces can go through in just one day. Maybe some heavy carriers? Then, to Joseph…actually, that's easy enough. Wait, Wardes…Hey Creator? Can you check where he could possibly be right now? He might be with the force to invade Tarbes. And Cromwell might also be there too. Good enough, two birds with one stone. With the Immorality System, both Saito… should we ask him to join the fight? Maybe. Ask Louise too, I'm sure she would come as well. It's in original, but… I don't want to put them in danger. Immorality System… I know, but I'm still afraid. Then how about letting them exchange words with the elves? It's less dangerous. Maybe… Good enough, I guess. Well, I will exchange words with the others. Let me rest for real. With her on top of you? With her on…what?

I open my left eye, to see that Iris Heart is already filling my vision, she's looking at me and smiling seductively. I look to the dining table to see the food hasn't been touched yet, considering the glyphs are not disappeared. I look back at her. "Hello Plutia. Why haven't you eaten? Where's the two? And why are you on top of me now?"

Iris Heart: "I threw them outside of the house. And did you forget that you have a present waiting for you? I'm eager to deliver it to you." Then she runs a finger from my shoulder to my chest…

If you think I'm going to let it go further, then you're wrong.

I sigh. "Plutia, you know I have my wives, right? And even if they agree, I would have…"

She just puts a finger on my lips to stop me talking. "I know as such. But, it's still fun to…"

"You tried to…can I say that word Creator?" Eh, maybe? Let us try one time. IF the website doesn't like it, then we stop using it. "You tried to rape me before, remember? Even if I want to do it with you, you would have known I don't want both of us to be uncomfortable."

Iris Heart just pouts, a rare sight coming from her. "Then, how can I repay you for the help earlier? And I thought you would need some experiences in…"

"My wives already took my first, okay?"

She stares at me blankly, then giggles. "So you have found them. Congrats to you."

"Thanks Plutia. Now…" Even when she's Iris Heart, her cuteness somehow is still there under that sadistic grin. I decide to just wrap my arms around her and hug her closer. She nearly yelps and looks at me in surprise. "If you don't need the food now, maybe dinner. Now, just be my body pillow and sleep, okay?"

She just looks at me and pouts again: "Really? Just this? I thought you want to go further?"

"I'm tired. Just sleep, okay?" She sighs and then starts sleeping, without transforming back. I use my power to get a different point of view, to see that our position is…a little bit suggestive. Shouldn't we change our location, Creator? Just a little change won't hurt anyone. Yeah, anyone BUT me. Anyway, just change the view, it's nothing else here. Will do. Rest well.

* * *

A few hours later, Tristain's Capital, Wales' POV

"Where's the Pope of Romalia? He should be here right now. Queen Marianne, he told you he would come, right?"

The Queen: "Yes. However, he also said that he had some business in the Academy of Magic. I don't know what kind, though."

"Knowing him, maybe it's the elves Kuro and T.O have rescued."

Albrecht: "Would it be a problem? I mean, the Pope is ruthless."

Henrietta: "Kuro and the others are there. Even if the Pope tries to do anything, he won't success."

"You know, if Kuro wasn't here, we wouldn't have this kind of conversation. And, he just blew off our belief to Brimir with just a few words."

My father: "He never said bad about Brimir. He just…said Brimir simply picked the wrong decisions. He did do many things for us, so Kuro won't fully hate him. Besides, he himself has experienced the bad side of humanity, so he understands what he's saying."

 **Ifrit:** "He knows what he says. That's why we like him a lot. And, why shouldn't we ask him to join us?"

Sitting with Albrecht from Germania side, there's a person who called himself Ifrit. But, that's his **past name.** He is a Zerbst, meaning he's Kirche's father, and he's also Kuro's citizen as well. Upon hearing the story Albrecht told him about the war, he immediately followed the Emperor here and started discussing the war with us as well. And luckily we have him. According to him, he's the tactical strategist in his team. Along with madam Karin being the leader of his team, and Aqua being the main healer. There's another member, but he kept quite about it, saying he didn't want to ruin the surprise.

The Queen: "He said he'll only play the role of a mercenary. We should be the one head-starting this fight against Reconquista."

Ifrit: "Ah…the same old Kuro. So, aside from the Pope, who would we wait? Or we just start when he's here?"

"Don't need to wait. We're here." We look to the door, to see the Pope and his familiar, Julio if I remember right, walking inside with Agnes walking behind them. But, when they walk closer to us, we notice that they have multiple bruises on their bodies, and some places have bandages on them.

The Queen grows concern: "What happened to you two? Did you fight some bandits on the way here?"

The Pope shakes his head: "No, we came here with no troubles on the way. But, I have to warn you to start taking care of the Academy. People has started disrespecting Brimir, and they even dare to attack us like this. That girl even declared herself as a Goddess as well, how dare she!"

Goddess? This might be a good sight. But then… "May I ask if you know the name of the girl?"

Julio speaks up: "She called herself Iris Heart. We have never heard anyone with that kind of name…"

"I do." Sir Ifrit and Madam Marianne speak at the same time. Then, sir Ifrit looks at the Queen. "Did you know Kuro's God name?"

The Queen nods. "Yes. It was when we dealt with Count Mott's abuse of power. You probably know if you're his citizen."

Ifrit: "Of course I do." Then, he turns to the Pope. "Though, I have never heard a Goddess with Iris in her name. From what I remembered, there were only Purple, White, Green and Black. Who is this new one?"

"The one from Ultradimension. Looks like you're still kicking pretty well, **Immortal Phoenix**." T.O walks out of the shadow, surprises all of us. And the Pope and Julio's reactions are to point their weapons to him.

The Pope is the first one to speak: "YOU! Why are you here?"

T.O: "Just going to tell you all about the plan to push back Reconquista. Now, put down your weapons, it won't do anything here."

Julio: "And why should we do so? You could be our enemies from the start." He turns to the Queen. "He's the one disrespecting Brimir, Your Highness. You should punish him according to the law of…"

Madam Marianne interrupts him. "If he's someone else, we might do so. However, this person is someone we could never do anything to him. Everything we try will be fruitless. And it also applies to his friends as well."

The Pope is surprised by this. "How couldn't you do anything to him? He's your citizen, right?"

Henrietta is the one to answer: "No, he's not. He's a deity, more powerful than Brimir himself. If you don't want to be on his bad side, you better put down your weapons. It's for better future."

The Pope is not convinced. "He, a deity? More powerful than Brimir? How can you get that conclusion?"

T.O suddenly teleports right before Julio, and uses his left hand to lift his left leg up, causing him to fall to the ground without being able to react. Then he uses the momentum to grab the Pope's wand-arm and uses his right arm to…disarm him, literally. Now, he's walking back a bit with half of the Pope's arm with the wand on it, and the Pope is holding his remain arm, however he's not shouting in pain, but surprised. "How…how can't I feel the pain?"

T.O: "Because I'm not allowing it. In normal circumstance, you will lose your arm forever. However…" He grabs the Pope's remain arm and put the dislocated one to the joint. The two parts automatically connect to each other, as the Pope looks and moves the arm in fear. "With my power, it's just a walk in the park to connect it back to normal." Then he walks to Ifrit. "Now, you two take a seat. We have something to discuss."

Ifrit asks him: "Do you really need to do so? There are many more ways to showcase your power."

T.O: "I'm showing him that I'm not someone you should mess around. And don't even start with Kuro, he's more brutal than me."

Ifrit shrugs: "I know. Him annihilating the whole group of monsters when we couldn't even push back one group is enough to know."

The duo from Romalia then sits on two empty seats, their eyes are focusing to T.O with fear and caution. Agnes then walks to behind Henrietta, due to the request of Her Highness. T.O, while standing, flashes out a few screens, which earns looks of surprises from my father, Albrecht, and the Romalians. One of the screens shows the map of the known parts of Halkeginia, one shows La Rochelle, one the port at Albion, one a village which I think it's in Tarbes based on the scenery, and one is the battlefield where the soldiers are gathering at.

T.O starts speaking up: "If our assumption is right, Reconquista will attack the village of Tarbes first. However, I want you all to not interfere with it. We already delivered our own army there, and they're also evacuating the people there to a safer place. After the fight, we will make sure the Rebels won't be able to take that location."

The Pope interrupts him: "First, how can we be sure you're on our side? You could be the Reconquista's spy who tries to distract us and takes the place for them. And second, if you're not, then how can you expect a small group like yours can fight against the army of the Rebels?"

T.O raises an eyebrow. "You already forgot my show minutes ago? If I am REALLY the spy of Reconquista, I would have wrecked everything up already. And didn't I say about 'our army' already? Even though they're not as powerful as I am, or Kuro, they're still a force to reckon with. The only thing we're afraid is that the civilians might get in the harm way. That's why I'm asking a small group of your soldiers from your army, mostly scouts, to help us evacuate them. Our army is already there to protect them, but it's a matter of time before Reconquista attacks the village."

Ifrit suddenly says: "General Gramont and his son are stationing near that area. I could make a call for him to ask for help."

T.O: "You mean Guiche?" "Yes. And, may I ask if you know what happened to him? He suddenly gets stronger, a little bit too fast, and…" "Put it simple, Kuro." "Okay then."

I'm a bit dumbfound by how easily they understand each other. "Uh, may I ask?" Both of them look at me. "Why does Kuro always seem to be the answer of your every question?"

Ifrit: "That's because he is. He could literally do anything he wants to. No matter how he does it, he nearly always gets things done."

T.O: "Well, that aside, you have his number?" Number? What do you mean?

Ifrit looks a bit surprised. "You knew?" T.O deadpans. "Does it look like I didn't know?"

Ifrit: "You have your point. I will call him now." Then he just swipes out a screen from nowhere, and then, a face shows up. Based on his features which are similar to Guiche, I'm guessing he's General Gramont… "Hey, **Terry.** How are you doing?"

The General is extremely surprised by the sudden appearance of the screen. "What the…Ifrit? First off, I'm in the middle of the training now. And second, how could you get access to the Gamindustri's old system?"

Ifrit points to T.O, who's waving his hand to the General. "KURO? No, black clothes, then T.O. But then, if you're here, then Kuro is here as well, right?"

T.O nods. "Yeah. Also, we're calling you to ask for some help. In a few days the village of Tarbes might get attacked by Reconquista. We need to evacuate the civilians out of the warzone. Kuro has called an army to protect them, but still…"

The General nods. "Of course. I will be there tomorrow. Oh, and, is Kuro the reason why my son…"

"Yep." Both Ifrit and T.O say at the same time. The General then shrugs. "Okay then. See you all in the future." The screen then turns off.

T.O: "With that being taken care of, we…" He suddenly stops and looks at something. All of us look the direction, to see both Julio and the Pope are speechless now, and they're staring blankly to the screens. I walk up to them and shake them to get them back. After about three minutes or so, the first one to react is the Pope.

The Pope doesn't immediately turn to me yet: "What…what kind of sorcery is this? How…" Then he turns to me. "How long have you all obtained this kind of thing? Why don't you share this information to us? With this, we can unite the humanity, and together, we could defeat the elves for good!"

That causes T.O to roll his eyes in annoyance. I understand why. Kuro's plan is to unite the whole world, not just the humanity, and the Pope is going to ruin his plan. And, he told us how dangerous a man with too much power in his hands could do.

Ifrit also notices his annoyance, but don't know why. "Well, he has a good point. With this, we can…"

T.O: "Yeah, yeah, humanity union. Not that part. What makes us very irritated that, mister Pope here tries to wipe the elves just because 'we're supposed to be the superior'. And seriously, he's following Brimir so blindly without acknowledging the people's need AND what the other parts of the world actually need. We're trying the peaceful way here. So for the love of god, Vittorio, stop trying to kill the elves, you won't gain anything from it."

The Pope stands up now, his face shows that he's angry: "How could you defend those filthy creatures like that? They are parasites of this world, and we need to eradicate all of them out of this world. Without them littering this world, we would never have to be on each other's throat like this. I'm still not over the fact you're having two of them walking in the Academy. Once this is over…" He turns to Queen Marianne and Henrietta. "I want permissions from you two to kill both of them. They should not be alive any longer."

The air in the room suddenly gets extremely heavy, that I nearly can't breathe well. I look to the others to see they're having the same problem too. When I look at T.O, I wish I will never see him like this in the future again. Before, Henrietta told me that Kuro was extremely pissed off because Mott tried to force her to work for him, along with the other maids. Now, I understand why we would NEVER say bad things in front of them. His eyes are covered by his black glasses, so we can't really see how they look like, but we know they're filled with rage. Behind him, black aura is floating all over him, that kind of thing shows that he's ready to kill at anytime. Then, he pulls out a gun, looks like a flintlock but shorter and its barrel is smaller, and points it to the Pope.

T.O says, his voice is hollow: "Now, should I just pull the trigger to end the madness of Brimir? Or just let you walk away and let this world goes to ruin?" Some of the aura even go into the gun. "We really want to see all the worlds end in Good Ending, but people like you keep standing in our way. We want to go the way around to avoid killing unnecessary, but… some are deserved to be killed, like you, or Brimir. He died because of his jealousy and his plan to kill all elves backfired on him. If you truly want to save this world, then forget everything Brimir left to you about bad things in this world. If not, we will make sure to deliver you to Death ourselves."

The Pope is breathing extremely heavily, but he tries to keep his body up by putting his hands on the table to support him. He looks at T.O, angrily says: "So that's what your plan, killing me? Then you're no better than us. With my death, people will separate even more, and it'll be your fault. The elves will never be our friends, and you can't do anything to change it. And when I'm killed, people will aim for your head to revenge. This war will be the first step of everything, and… you're not powerful enough to stop it."

T.O: "Not powerful enough?" T.O pauses a bit, then… "You haven't seen the bad ends of it. And I will show you all about it."

Then, the world around us collapses instantly and we fall to the emptiness under us. Upon falling down, we see tons of screens around us, each showing a bad scene of some sorts. Then, one of them shows that I'm dying right in the hands of Henrietta, while she's crying. I feel a sudden drop in my heart. Would it happen if I wasn't saved by Kuro in Albion?

Then, I feel her hands grabbing mine, as I look at her, she's also looking at the screen with fear and sadness.

"Wales…" She speaks. "Please, tell me this is a joke. This isn't supposed to happen in the future."

"I…I don't know, my love."

"Be assure, Princess. We have passed that point." We look at T.O, he looks a bit calmer, but he's still scaring us. "This would happen, only if Wales and the Loyalists died in Albion, in attempt to fight a losing fight. Then after that, Wales' body will be used to fight against you all, like Kuro had told you Wales." I slowly nod. So that's why he wanted to prevent it at all costs.

"Is…is there anything else that has been prevented as well?"

T.O: "A lot…" He spreads his hand, and we look around to see many more. "This is what I have watched during just a second in your world. I have watched them, again and again, until I can find the best solution for the world. But even then, sometimes I could even make wrong choices. That's why Kuro is there to help me with it. Even the Creator also helps us." Then we fall even more, then… we see our world below us burning in fire. "This…is just one of the bad choices. There are several more, and each is worse than the others. Kuro have experienced his world he swears to protect turned to ruin, just because his efforts are thrown away by one bad assumption."

Ifrit is the one understanding him the most, as he speaks up: "T.O…That's why we tried our best to protect what's good for the world. That's why we sacrificed our lives for Kuro to success."

T.O nods. "And we're appreciated of that."

The Pope, surprised by the sudden change of the world, is still stubborn about his ideal. "And why should we even listen to you? You would just run us around and let the elves do whatever they want."

T.O: "Then how about this?" Another screen floats to us, and we can see that people are fighting against a very dangerous dragon. Then, in the end, what makes us surprised is that, Vittorio has pushed Julio out of him to save his life, but in exchange, he's eaten by the said dragon. The Pope pales when he sees that, and he turns to T.O. "Now, you have two options: Either you accept the cruel fact and work with us, or you'll perish like that, or being killed by either Sasha or Kuro."

That makes all of us fall in silence. Seeing that we're not going to respond soon, T.O snaps his finger, and once again we're back to the real world. "That's much I want to say. I will tell you more about our plans in the near future. In the meantime, try to think about what happened today. And you two…" He's talking about the Pope and Julio. "You better change your point of view, otherwise you will meet Death very soon." Then, he disappears.

The room falls in total silence. All of us are still not over about what we just witnessed. Those two…if they REALLY want to blow up this world, they would have done so the first time they stepped into this world. But they didn't do it, because they care about us, and Kuro always keeps his past craved into his memories so he won't do the same mistake. He wants us to know he never lets his past to overwhelm him, but a reminder to keep going forward. If he could do so, then…

… Why can't we?

* * *

 **Chapter 10 end!**

 **Plutia appears! And Sadie too!...And I'm hiding under the desk now.**

 **I'm not writing the 'lesson' Iris Heart gave to Vittorio and Julio. One, it might makes this story turn M-rated (if someone can confirm if swear words can still be used in T-rated stories, tell me please). And two, I'm not good at writing someone like Iris Heart, because of my own pacific personality that I can't write bad guys good enough.**

 **About T.O's world, it's just White Space with tons of screens. It's easy to imagine.**

 **About two weeks from now, the update time might be longer, since it's holiday. (Yeah, it's a bit reversed). After that, still one week per chapter.**

 **See you in the next chapters!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Read the previous chapters for it.**

 **This chapter will be extremely short. Then, I will be away for AT LEAST two weeks. If something changes, maybe I will update another chapter sooner.**

 **To RedBurningDragon: About where T.O stays, you can imagine anywhere. The reason I write my stories with a lot of undescribed details (Like how Kuro actually looks like) is for you all to imagine by yourself without forcing you to think the same like me. And yeah, Julio and Vittorio won't break with just one hour of torture.**

 **Without anything else, enjoy chapter 11 (or I would say 10.5) everyone!**

* * *

Half an hour after Kuro slept, Charlotte's POV

For some reasons, I suddenly feel like I need to check Kuro up. If Iris Heart tries to do anything to him…

Kirche notices me spacing out, as she nudges me: "Hey, Tabitha. What's wrong?"

"It's…nothing. Don't worry."

"Your face says otherwise Charlotte." Louise now turns to me. "Your mind has been wandered since Kuro came back to his house. You're worried about him?'

There's no point hiding it now. "Yes, I am. If he's afraid of that girl, then I don't know what she would do to him when we're not there."

"We, or you Tabitha?" Kirche suddenly smirks to me. "You really have feelings for him during the time you're with him, right? Then why don't you go check on him? We still have another half an hour before our classes."

"Then, what about you all?"

Kirche suddenly hugs Louise. "I have Louise and Saito and the others to accompany with me already! You can join your own fun for a while!"

"Kirche…unhand me now…" Louise growls dangerously to Kirche, which she doesn't react a bit.

I smile and walks away before the whole room turns to ash. "Thank you Kirche. I'm going now." After that, I'm still hearing them bickering with each other.

I'm standing in front of the door that leads to Kuro's house. Now I'm not sure if this is a good idea. We go to his house regularly, and he's not against it. But now, with the girl/woman inside the house, I'm hesitated to come in.

Eventually, I push the door open.

"Kuro, are you inside?" No response. I look at the table, and see some meals being covered by magic. Then when I look into the main room, I frown. The woman, Iris Heart, is currently sleeping, while she's on Kuro. And he's even wrapping his arm around her! Now, if I didn't know better, I would say they would have done something before they're in this position. But…keep my mind cool. Since it's Kuro, I'm sure they're just sleeping, nothing else happened. Nothing else…

Wandering somewhere, girl?

'Shut up, Creator.'

Hey, I'm not saying anything here.

'You mentioned it, that's the problem. So, explain how did this happen?'

Well, Iris Heart actually planned to do 'things' that's in your head. But Kuro was tired, so he just told her to sleep with him, and her being his body pillow is the result.

… 'That woman listened to Kuro that easily?'

He's one of the few that could talk normal to her.

'Then why is he even afraid of her?'

He IS, normally. But when he needs to be serious…You know what I mean?

'Yes.'

By the way, she's waking up.

'She?' When my focus regains, I see that Iris Heart is looking at me with her iris eyes and smiling, the smile is normal this time. "Ara, Chary, good afternoon. What brings you here?"

I smile back to answer her greeting. "Good afternoon to you as well. I'm just checking if everything is fine."

She nods, then raises up, letting Kuro's arms fall off, then sits on the sofa, as Kuro and the others called it. But then… "Are you scared that I'm going to do something to your dear Kury?" I freeze in place. Why…how does she get to that conclusion?

"It's written all of your face." Then she puts her hand on my cheek. "Don't worry. I'm not that cruel. We can do stuffs together with him, can't we?"

I turn red all over my face. It's true something I imagined… 'STOP THAT, CREATOR! THIS IS YOUR WORK, ISN'T IT?'

Who else?

Iris Heart: "My, my, Creator. You really want little Chary here to be with Kury? Or, you have some feelings for her?"

Well, you can think something like that. And both of us are the same, so…

Iris Heart: "But then, what exactly are you trying to do?"

…

"Creator?"

It's… a bit personal for us. Iris Heart, if you please…

Iris Heart: "Oh? Something in your past?"

Kuro's past. I'm giving him one chance.

Iris Heart doesn't say anything. Then, she turns back to Plutia. "Okkaaaayyyy, I'm going out now…" She walks out of the house, probably wanders around the place.

…

Back to the matter. Kuro, wake up.

"Urgh, should let her lay down on the sofa before…" He didn't sit up yet, as he turns his head, his face shows surprised when he sees me. "Charlotte? What are you doing here?"

"Just checking on you." I look at the exit, then back to him. "Did you do anything to Plutia?"

He deadpans. "Do you think I would do anything?" He sits up and looks directly at me.

"Considering your wives actually gave you permission…" I let the sentence hang. He sighs. "I didn't do anything, even though she was tempted to do so. Now Creator, why did you call me up?" He looks up to the ceiling.

I'm going to teleport you back.

Kuro grabs his head: "Back where?"

Earth.

A moment of silence…

Kuro: "Earth? My Earth? But…won't it risk my world's safety?"

A day is not going to affect much.

Kuro looks at me, then… "She will come with me, won't she?"

That's my plan.

Kuro: "Why?"

A little bonding time. You're…not interacting with her much, even though she's your mistress.

It's…a bit true. Even though he's my familiar technically, he's working more with other people, rather than me. He did help me a lot, but…

Kuro: "I…have no excuse. Sorry, Charlotte, for not recognizing it sooner."

"It's fine…" But then… "Where are you going to teleport us to?"

Kuro will answer it.

A light occurs between me and Kuro, and I'm sure it's a teleportation spell…

* * *

When my vision returns, I'm standing in the middle of a field. The sun is high on the sky, and green is everywhere around me. When I take a closer look, there are grasses. Then, a bit further…I see gravestones. A lot of them, and there are temple-like structures around. Where am I?

"You're standing in the graveyard, Charlotte." I turn back to see Kuro. He waves his hand, signaling me to follow him. "Come. I need to go here for a bit."

We walk a bit deeper in the middle of the graves, and then he stops before a grave. No, not one, there are two more with it. I see him pulling out some kind of stick. He lights one of the head, then he stops. The fire is for a few seconds, but the stick starts smoking. He then plugs it on the grave, then claps his hands together in front of his chest, then starts chanting in his mother tongue, since I cannot understand what he's saying. I decide to stay silence, and look around more. If this is supposed to be a graveyard, then… no offense, but it's poorly constructed.

Girl…Our only care is that we die in our relatives' hands, in our mother land. If it's done, then we don't care if this place is not pretty. Of course, through time, people change, this place will change too. But now, this is all we do.

'I understand. Then…this grave…is this his parents'?'

No. It's his, or, our grandfather and his ancestors.

'Ours?'

He is me, remember?

'Right.'… 'What's next?'

…

'Creator?'

…

'He's not responding… I hope he's okay.'

"Charlotte…" He finishes his chanting, as he turns to me, while giving me another smoking stick. "Can you plug it on the grave?"

"Why me?"

"It's…a bit of our tradition." I nod, and do what he said.

He looks around a bit, then grabs my hand gently. "Let's go. I have a few places to go."

"Okay…"

During the walk, I decide to ask: "The stick…"

"It's called Joss stick. We use it to call our ancestors up there." He points to the sky. I blink. "You people can talk to them?" He chuckles. "No, but it's our tradition. Even though some, including me, don't believe they are around anymore, until I started my adventure. Now, I wonder if I could find any of them." "Then, why do you have to call them?" "To ask them to join things that we offer to them, so that they can bless us with health, wealth, and many more." "Even though, it can be meaningless." "Like I said, it's tradition. I can't really say my ancestors are wrong, but…" I decide not to dwell deeper into that anymore. Then… "Where are we heading to?" "To a church." "Shouldn't you try to find your relatives?" "…" "I'm sorry if I…" "You did nothing wrong, Charlotte. It's just…I don't know how much time has passed, so I'm not sure if I could find them." … "It's been…40 years for me, even more. I…I'm afraid my relatives suffered through those years. They might hate me." "They won't." "I know. But…"

While we're walking, I notice that some people walk passing us, they look extremely surprised for some reasons, then they start following us and whispering to each other.

"Kuro…" I pull myself together to him, but we still keep walking. "Don't worry Charlotte. Everything is fine." "They are…" "Just curious. It's not normal to see foreigners around here." I slowly nod, but still turn my head back a bit. They're still following.

We reach to what looks like a temple, rather than a church. We walk in, but not before he asked me to pull out my shoes. He then does the same thing in the graveyard. I stand close to him, while hearing the whispers being louder and louder.

Then, I hear someone walks behind us, and steps to Kuro's left side (I'm on the right side). The man asks him something, but Kuro doesn't answer yet. Then, the man grabs Kuro's shoulder and pushes him lightly so he would face the man. I look up to the new man, and I am surprised to see he looks like Kuro's older version, without his glasses. Then, Kuro says something in his mother tongue, and the man suddenly hugs him, the man starts shedding tears. The people behind me start talking even louder, making me extremely discomfort. I pull myself even closer, pushing myself to him. He notices it, and pushes the man a bit to release the hug, and says something to him. The man looks at me, then to the people behind, and shouts at them something. People start standing aside, creating a path for us. He then pulls my hand, and I start walking with him and the man out of the place. We then walk to a big house, and then to the big room in the middle. And instantly, Kuro is hugged by two women, one is roughly the same age with the man, and an old lady. People then start talking a lot to him, but he's not answering anything yet. Then, two girls notice me, both of them are taller than me, but their figures are nearly the same as me. One of them, who looks older, just looks at me curiously, while the later has her eyes widen. Then, she types something on her…phone, isn't it? And she shows the screen to me, and I'm surprised that my face is on it, along with my name. I slowly nod, and she starts bombarding Kuro with questions as well. Then, Kuro uses his hands to give everyone a signal to tell them to stop, and they comply. He then points his finger to me, and a spell suddenly surges through me. Then he speaks, with his mother tongue, but now I understand his words. "Charlotte. I would like you to meet…my family."

After at least an hour, Kuro has explained everything to his family. And he has introduced me to the others. Apparently the man before is Kuro's father, the old lady is his grandfather, the woman is his mother. The older girl is his eldest cousin even though he's actually the oldest in his generation, and the girl who shows me the phone is his sister. The others are his aunt, his uncles and his cousins. The family, at first, didn't believe he told the truth, but when he demonstrated his power…

Kuro's father sighs: "40 years… You sure have seen a lot…"

His mother: "I was so worried when you suddenly disappeared without a trace. I thought you were…"

Kuro: "And I'm sorry for it. But, the Creator did it accidentally, so he's not exactly at fault."

His sister: "So now you're a God in another world, and also has two wives AT THE SAME TIME, and has kids as well?"

Kuro smirks a bit: "Jealous?"

His sister shrugs: "None. Just surprised at all."

His grandmother: "And the girl…" She's mentioning me. "Is she your girlfriend now?" She laughs a bit as we blush.

I try to mutter the words out: "I'm sorry…madam…but we're not…"

His father suddenly smiles: "We can't really do anything for you two but to wish you good luck, heh?" That makes our colors even go in deeper shade.

Kuro tries to speak back: "By the way, how long has I been gone?"

His eldest cousin: "You have been disappeared for 5 months, just a month after the start of the new semester."

Kuro is surprised: "Only five months? Hey Creator, how did you make my Earth's time run?"

Timeline pinpoint.

I try to shake the embarrassment off as I ask him: "What does he mean, Kuro?"

"Kuro?" His father interrupts.

Kuro: "I use that name now. If I used my old name, my enemies in the future might find out this Earth and try to hurt you. Anyway, he means that, even though this world runs at the same time as my conscious can recognize, he can look at any point in the time and teleport me here."

Kuro's mother: "So, you can come back with us any time…"

Kuro shakes his head. "No. I think only during holidays or so. Or he thinks the universe is stable enough to do so."

Kuro's grandmother: "At least you came back. We were planning to…"

Kuro: "I'm sorry, but I want this to be in secret."

All of his family ask: "Why?"

Kuro: "The government. I'm not sure how they react when they find out that another universe exists. So, you might want to make a fake altar for me."

Everyone nods. His cousin suddenly asks: "What about your friends?"

Kuro: "I…want to…but I'm not sure…"

Your choice.

Kuro: "What?"

I told you I can pinpoint the timeline right? But, do you want to spend more time with your family, or you want me to teleport you to the future?

Kuro: "…Thank you, but I'm staying here for a while, then I will go."

Of course. But, I have to warn you that you only have about 20 hours left.

Kuro: "Roger." Then he looks back at his family. "If I'm right, it's Tet now, isn't it? I may need something for my friends and my family." Tet? Now that's something I have never heard of, even from Saito or the others.

His grandmother smiles: "We're in the middle of making 'banh chung' now." What is that? "You and your girlfriend can join us."

Kuro blushes. "Grandma…"

Kuro's eldest uncle chuckles: "Admit it, you like her, don't you?"

Kuro scratches his head: "Yes, I do, but…"

His sister nails his coffin: "After all, you two kissed, right?"

All eyes look at me and him, as we blush. Kuro only said that we made a contract, he never said how.

His mother asks her: "What do you mean, daughter?"

His sister: "From what I know from Charlotte's world, the contract is done by kissing. So I think it's the case."

She turns to his son. "Is it true?" He nods. "Then, you should take your responsibility." "I know, but…" "And not just a friend, okay?" "MOM!" Everyone is laughing now.

His eldest cousin coughs, gaining their attentions. "Don't you see our guest here is embarrassed? Please just stop."

His father apologizes: "I'm sorry Charlotte, we went a bit too far."

I wave my hand: "It's nothing Mister. It didn't hurt anyone."

Kuro claps his hands: "All right! Let's make some banh chung! Follow me, Charlotte."

Another two hours pass. I has been taught by Kuro's family about his country's traditions, and I even helped them in making many unique foods. Kuro then took me to walk around the neighborhood. From what I have learnt, people consider the others as family members as long as they're born in one place, and they have the same last name. I feel a little jealous though, people in Halkeginia don't have that much of a connection. But then, Kuro said that only his country and a few others have that kind of relationship, since their last names are more commonly used than the other countries. In fact, they only refer to each others as their names, never their last names. People even asked me where I am from, and Kuro just said I'm from a country called France. A covered story that actually made sense.

During the walk, I ask him: "Do you regret?"

"Huh?"

"Do you regret that…you have to be away from them, because of your current state, and the danger behind it?"

"I…Yes, I did. But not anymore. I did miss my time with my family, happiness yes, sadness yes… But now, when I know I can come back, I don't have to be afraid anymore about not seeing them in the future."

"It's good." I push myself closer to him. "I don't want to see you being sad in front of us."

He smiles. "I won't. I promise you that." He rubs my cheek gently, and pink faintly appears on my face. Then, a bit later, he mumbles. "I…should I…no…"

I giggle at his stutter. He asks me: "What?"

I shake my head. "Nothing. I will tell you later." He looks at me with the face that he wants the answer, but he drops it a second later.

After that, it's time to say goodbye.

I bow in front of Kuro's family. "Thank you all for your hospitality. I won't forget it."

Kuro's father smiles: "Don't need to be so formal. Take care of my son for us, okay?" I nod.

The glyph behind us is shining brightly. Kuro says his last words: "I'm going now. You all, please take good care of your health. I don't want to see you being in bad conditions when I return."

Kuro's mother: "Of course. After all, we're doctors. Health is our priority. Oh, and next time, bring your family with you, won't you?" Kuro nods, he's smiling happily. He then grabs my hand, and waves the others. "Goodbye everyone!" "Goodbye!" And then we step into the glyph.

* * *

Another light blinds me. When my vision is back, again, I see myself in the roof of a building. He's just teleporting us to weird places.

"I agree Charlotte. And we got ourselves an audience." Kuro points his finger to the building in front of us. I look to the directions, and see that some people, around Kirche's age, are staring at us, and they're holding their phones in front of them.

Kuro sighs: "What did he want to gain when he teleported us in front of students like this? Charlotte, let's jump down." Kuro holds me up, bridal-style. I yelp in surprise, because of sudden movement, and… "Won't it attract attentions to us?"

"We already have done it. Just let this get over with." He walks out of the edge and falls down. But, while I'm expecting him to fall to the ground, he creates a glyph at the midair and lands on it. He's facing the inside of the building, and when he reaches down, I can see students backing away from where they're standing out of surprise. Then… "Hello my old friends. I'm back."

And another bombardment of questions like before. And I was in the middle of it as well.

After a while, everyone calms down, but they're still hyped about the story Kuro just told them.

"You are forty years older than us? Seriously?"

"And you are leading a nation on your own, and have family as well?"

"And now you're traveling through universes and trying to lead them to the best ending, as you called it?"

Kuro: "That's a short version, yes."

"And she…is your…"

Kuro: "Well…kind of…I do like her after all…"

It's a bit of same case with us being surprised by Kuro and Saito on the first day.

"Then, why don't you go and meet your parents?"

Kuro: "Actually, I met them a week ago, then I went with Charlotte here by a teleportation spell, so here we are."

After a few more questions…

"So you can't be here forever. You need to return with her, don't you?"

Kuro: "Sorry, it's my job."

"Don't need to apology. But, you better return when there's some special events here."

Kuro: "Of course. Though, I hope an old guy like me won't ruin your fun." Everyone laughs at that. It's fun to have your friends being there with you.

Kuro then grabs my hand, and now a portal appears. "Welp, time for us to leave. See you in your future!"

* * *

We're standing inside of Kuro's house now. He lets out a massive sigh and falls on his sofa.

"Thank God, this went better than I though it would be."

I blink. "You expected something bad might happen?"

Kuro: "I'm 60 years old, and have experienced tons of bad things. Being paranoid is normal."

I shake my head, and sit next to him. Then, in my hand, a box of black chocolate appears in my hand. I gently put it on his hand. He lifts the hand up, and he's surprised to see it. "A chocolate box? Why do you…" He turns to me, but before he finishes the sentence, I put my lips on his, making him widen his eyes in shock. When we part way, I see that he's already red. "I heard from your sister. You want to celebrate your traditional holiday with me, and I'm appreciated of it. But, this year, it's a bit special since it's in the same day with…what did she call it, Valentine's Day? It's the day for the girl to confess her feelings to her beloved one, right?" He nods slowly. "So, I asked her what to buy, and she suggested this. And, she said that, when I give it to you, I should say my feelings to you. So, here it is…" I inhale… "I love you Kuro. No matter what you are, what you have done in the past, you will be the one for my heart completely. Would you accept my confession to you?"

Kuro is paralyzed now, based on his look. It's a bit too much for him, I think. "You can answer me later. Now…" But before I could turn my head to different direction, Kuro grabs my chin gently and pulls me closer to him. "Of course, I would accept it. I was afraid you might see me as a playboy. But, if you still accept me, then I should tell you my feelings too. I love you, Charlotte. Would you be my girlfriend forever?" I nod, smile happily. "Yes, I would love to be your girlfriend." Then, we kiss passionately. His lip is full of sweet and happiness, and it makes me really happy. Nothing should have…

"My oh my, you come here just to take him for yourself? You're a naughty girl Tabitha." We immediately separate, our faces turn crimson as we look at the exit to see Kirche standing there smirking, with Louise in her arms, smoke puffing out of her ears, and her face is the same as ours. Saito is leaning against the door frame, slowly clapping his hands in amusement. Cave, Lyrica and Tiffania are very excited now, and even the stoic Sasha is smiling.

"How…HOW LONG have you been there?"

Kirche: "Just when you confessed to him. I was about to call you to say that we only have 5 more minutes before class, but now…" She giggles. "Should we leave you here now and let you finish things up?"

"NONONO, we're done here!" Both of us stand up instantly, as I walk/run to the rest of the group, but I turn my body back… "Kuro, do you want to join us?"

Kuro, still red, answers: "Eh…maybe not. I have something to do. I will see you later." I nod, and close the door after everyone is out.

Kirche replaces Louise in her arms by me. "Now, tell me everything Taby! What kind of event led you to confess your feelings to him like that?"

Saito continues: "I'm curious and surprised too. How could a few minutes make you decide that decision?"

I answer: "Actually… I think it's about 4 to 5 hours passed for me."

"…" They don't say anything so I continue. "The Creator decides to teleport me and Kuro back to his old world, where we met his family and his friends. And it's during Tet and Valentine's Day at the same time so…" I blush again.

Saito nods in understand: "Tet, at the same time Valentine's Day…"

Kirche asks him: "You know about it?"

Saito: "Tet is basically Kuro's country's first days of Lunar New Year's celebration. It's common in a few countries around it, but Tet is how Kuro's people call the day. And Valentine's Day, it's international. It's when the girl has the best chance to express her feelings to the boy she likes."

Cave continues: "Actually Kuro was the first one to give us knowledge about Valentine's Day and made it be in our calendar. And because of it, many managed to talk to their loved one."

Lyrica then asks Saito: "Do you know the reason he's not coming with us now?"

Saito, instead of answering her, turns to me: "Did his family or his friends give him something?"

I sweat-drop when I remembered that moment… "When Kuro mentioned he has hammerspace, they gave him tons of food, including traditional ones."

Saito: "Then he's probably preparing to give them away."

Louise: "Why?"

Saito: "Vietnamese tend to make more than they need to give to the others they like. And that's the truth. It's how they show their friendliness."

The more I heard about his people, I'm eager to learn more. "Can you tell me more?"

He smiles: "Well, maybe after the classes. Let's go before the Professor is mad at us." We comply, or at least, most of us, since Cave, Sasha and Lyrica are not technically students here.

During the walk to the classroom, I put my finger on my lip, and remember the last kiss. The first time we kissed, it was just for the contract. But now, when we have acknowledged our feelings to each other, the kiss is more…important. It's a sign that we trust each other, we care about each other, it creates an unbreakable bond between us. And…now, he has known much about me, but I haven't yet. So, my next objective in my life is: get to know more about him, and be the girl he always wants me to be.

* * *

 **Chapter 11 (10.5) end!**

 **Yeah, just a small bonding time between Kuro and Charlotte, and they confess to each other. Yay...**

 **My first thought for this chapter is only for our Tet holiday, but when I re-check the calendar, it happens during Valentine as well.**

 **I will see you guys in the near future!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Only my OCs and my stories are mine. All the others (even my OCs' power, most of them) belong to their respective owners.**

 ***Checking calendar* 2 weeks and about 2 days... finally a new chapter. It could be sooner, but...the reason for the delay is that I actually ran out of ideas for THIS chapter. The next ones might be faster, but this one, along with the other reason I gave in the previous chapter...yeah...**

 **To RedBurningDragon: I would say Diz's computer looks better to be Kuro's main headquarter. It's more reasonable.**

 **Also, I feel like I missed something in this chapter. Can someone tell me after reading?**

 **Without further ado, enjoy chapter 12 everyone!**

* * *

A minute later, Kuro's POV

"Jesus, why did I accept this?" In front of me are stacks of tradition food back home. Normally, because we know we can't bring much around, so we made only enough… But since they knew about my hammerspace, this happened… "Seriously, if this whole chapter is me trying to go around and give it to everyone, then it's going to be suck, both to me and you, Creator…"

I'm HOPING it's not going to go that way. But, how are we going to do this?

"I don't know…T.O, help!"

 _What?_

"We…what happened to you?"

 _Check two chapters back._

"Two…oh. Sorry about it. But, I need some recommendations here. How am I going to give all of them out, without extending the story to the limitations?"

 _Well, let's see…That's a lot. Well, one stack will be for your family. One will be for the Elite Hunters. One to their children, the next one's for still-alive citizens including Cave. The remains are for CPUs from both dimensions, including Kurome…Who else?_

"Let me think…Urgh…How about the leaders of Halkeginia, like the Queen and the Emperor? And also Nisa as well."

I think it's okay, but I think you should do it tomorrow.

"Yeah…they don't have good time with you, T.O."

 _The Romalia duo just has to push the matter._

"I understand. But next time, let me do the job. You have enough work in your hands already to concern such things."

 _I don't mind it. If it's to teach those bastards a lesson, then I will do so._

"It's fine, I won't stop you. But please don't go overboard, I don't like cleaning up a fuss…"

 _Will remember, don't worry._

"Well, I should be going now. Better not letting these foods go to waste." I put all of them into my hammerspace, then change my outfit into a traditional costume in my country. Now, I'm wearing a blue 'ao dai' (and yes, the ones for males are called the same), white shirt inside, and a blue headband. "Let's get this done."

* * *

The next day, village of Tarbes, Guiche's POV

"Duke de Zerbst asked you to protect the village?" I ask my father, surprised that he actually listened to someone that's not Her Highness. We're currently on our way, with some of my friends, to the destination. I know Kirche's father might have a lot of connection, but I never know that he and my father actually accompanied each other.

"You sound surprised."

"Well…not really…not after what happened during these first weeks…" I shudder. First is Kuro calling out Death, then his hellish training with the monsters …

My father laughs: "I heard. You had a rough time with Kuro, and I understand."

"Yes, he's a real pain sometimes…wait, YOU KNOW KURO?" This time I shout. Don't tell me…

"Now it's a surprise, huh? Yes, I know him. I'm sure he has told you a lot about him…"

"Yes, about his world, Gamindustri, right? Then, you were…"

"You're right. I am his citizen. My old name is Terry, the **Colossus of Gamindustri, one of the Elite Hunter team members.** "

"Then, I am…" I can't think straight now. If my father is Kuro's citizen, then am I his? Did he know before? It would make sense when he didn't kill me before. But then, he didn't know who is reincarnated here, he only knew there're his people here. And…if my father was from Gamindustri, then can he use non-casting spells as well? Can I do the same things as Kuro?

A soldier heard our conversation, as he asks my father: "General Gramont, you're talking about The White Dragon?"

Now he has a look of confusion: "The White Dragon?"

"It's the event at Albion, sir. People has talked about the guy, who's with the members of Tristain Academy of Magic has saved the citizens of Albion and the Loyalists out of that place in just one go. And the guy, who transformed into the White Dragon, assisted them in escaping."

My father smiles: "So that's Kuro's work, huh? Should have expected that. Thanks for your information." The soldier salutes him and returns to his squad.

"How often did he do so in the past, father?"

"Which one, rescuing people, or doing the impossible?"

"Don't both of them go hand-to-hand?"

He laughs. "Yeah, that goes with Kuro well. Yes, if you haven't known yet, he's not actually from Gamindustri."

"We know about it already. But, most of the time he only talked about his time in Gamindustri with you all…"

"It's for his old family's safety. I think you understand." I nod. "Wait, but then…won't his family be worried about him?"

"He did speak about it, but he just dropped it every time we tried to put it up."

"Reasons?"

"It's…something you should ask him yourself. He doesn't like it getting the story spreading around." He suddenly turns serious about it.

I swallow. How bad is Kuro's past that makes my father said like that? Then my father's smile returns. "Don't think about it much. He will tell you if you ask him, and he's in good mood."

I scratch my head. "I'm…not sure when he's in that mood, especially after the fight between us."

"Oh yes, that fight…Seriously, I thought I taught you about not mistreating the commoners here?"

"It's a bit of moment's heat…I have no excuse for the actions."

"Just don't do it again." I nod again.

When we reach the gate of the village, an old man, who I assume is the chief here, greets my father. "Greetings, General Gramont. Thank you for providing support for our evacuation." As he says so, I notice people are walking around, carrying goods and putting them on carriages. All of them are very hurried.

"It's our duty to make sure all citizens are out of combat zone. By the way, is Nisa around here?"

"Nisa? So, you are…" The face of the chief shows that he's surprised. But why?

"Yes, I was like Nisa. So, may I ask where she is now?"

The chief shakes his head, his face turns to normal. "Follow me, sir Gramont. She's with the aliens now." Aliens? My father just nods and starts gesturing everyone to start helping the people around, then we walk to the chief's direction.

During the walk, I notice that there're already abandoned houses already. Inside, I see…people? No, human-shaped creatures. They are not human. Those glowing red eyes, the faces with no nose and mouth… "Uh…Sir, why are they inside the houses?"

The chief: "Oh, them? They're trying to see if our houses have any advantages to ambush Reconquista. At least, that's what Nisa and their leader are discussing about."

I turn to father. "I know Kuro can summon his own army, but do you know who these guys are?"

"I'm not sure actually. He didn't do it much when we're still back there. We will ask either him or Nisa for the information."

The chief: "We are here." Both of us look at the direction he's looking at and see…Siesta…

My father notices my shocked face, as he shakes my shoulder a bit. "Hey, you okay son?" I point to Siesta. He recognizes why I am like this. "That's the girl from before huh? Did you apologize her yet?" "Yes…" "Then there's nothing to fear. Come on." He pushes me forward.

Siesta notices us walking to her, as she bows: "Hello Chief. And welcome Mister Guiche and General Gramont to the Village of Tarbes."

My father signals her to stand straight. "Thank you for your warm welcome." Then, he looks at the woman next to her. "And I assume you're Nisa, correct?"

The woman looks at my father, scanning him all over, then… "You're General Gramont, right? Or, if you call me Nisa, then I should call you Terry, shouldn't I?" She knows my father's old name?

My father raises his arms in surrender gesture: "You got me. Yes, I'm Terry. Seems like Kuro has come to you as well. How's he doing? The last time I talked with Ifrit was when I saw T.O, not Kuro."

"He's fine. He just visited us recently, with his wives and an elf from 6000 years ago."

That drops us in a bit of silence. Then, I ask Siesta: "How much did we boys miss during out recruitment?"

Siesta puts a finger under her chin: "Eh…let me think…oh right! A person from Romalia attended the Academy as a transferred student. And Sasha got a new sword as well."

"A Romalian in the Academy in this time? It's a bit suspicious." It's just the war between the other three nations. Oh not really, only between three nations. Gallia only has Tabitha and Madam Marietta at best. Wait a second, our school right now is housing two elves…maybe… "Is it because of Tiffania and Sasha?"

My father obviously doesn't know who they are. "Who are they, Guiche?" "They're the two elves T.O managed to save. Sasha was saved after she killed Brimir, and Tiffania was when a professor in our Academy, who called herself Linda, asked him to rescue her from the warzone in Albion."

My father doesn't say anything after that, probably trying to process the story. Then… "I think I have to ask T.O and Kuro in person for more details. For now, just focus on countering Reconquista out of Tristain."

"That you should." We all turn to the deep voice, to see another creature, cladding in a dark metal armor. Its eyes show only fury and nightmare. "Tell your soldiers to start stationing in, we need some appointments to make sure we don't hit anything that's not related to the Rebels." He sounds like he's the leader of these aliens, but his tone describes him for someone who's very ruthless with his methods of fighting.

My father doesn't take it very lightly. "I'm sorry, but even when you're with Kuro, you should show respect to the others people, not just him. And you should introduce yourself now, so that we know who we're associating with."

"That's how Alarak is. Sorry about his behavior." We turn to the voice to see Kuro, in a long blue dress. No, it looks definitely like a dress, but it is masculine. And on his hands are…some kind of green square things? Why does he appear like that?

Terry walks to him with bright smile on his face: "Isn't this my good buddy? How are you doing?"

Kuro looks a bit down for a reason. "Still okay, but I'm a bit exhausted now. Can you accept one of this?" One square thing starts floating to my father's hands as he holds it when it reaches. "What is this? Something you made?" "No, it's from my old family. They decided to overdo this when they found out I have hammerspace." Then a small rain cloud appears above his head. "I have spent the whole day trying to give them away, since it's their intentions anyway, but it's still not over."

The woman, Nisa, asks him in surprise: "Wait, your old family? I thought you were not…"

Kuro: "The Creator decided to let me come back once a while, mostly during holidays or special events. And when I went back, it was during one of the biggest holidays so…"

My father slaps his arms: "Congrats man! You looked very down when we talked about this before! Now you could talk about it freely, right?"

Kuro: "Eh…not really… Oh right! Terry, Guiche, this is Alarak, the leader of Taldarim faction of the Protoss. He will be helping you in defending this village and fight against Reconquista. And sorry about his personality, but it's the same with his original." "Original?" "Oh yeah. They're just carbon copies of the originals, and I told them to act like them."

My father turns to Alarak and offers him a hand. "So that's just an act? Well, since I know your name already… My name was Terry, and now I'm General Gramont of Tristain. Hope we can work our best with each other."

Alarak's aura suddenly gets softer, as he shakes my father's hand. "It'll be a pleasure."

I walk to Siesta. "So, how long have you been here?"

Siesta: "After you and your friends start packing to go to war. During that, I spent the time here to start packing things up to run away from warzone, in case the enemies decided to attack here."

The Chief speaks: "After Siesta had magic, she started using them to help us a lot…"

"Wait." I interrupt him. "You have magic, Siesta?" I nearly speak more when I remember who her mother was. "Oh right, madam Nisa is Kuro's citizen. Sorry for almost doubting it."

Siesta: "It's okay, mister Guiche. Many people wouldn't believe it either if they heard it for the first time."

"HEY GUICHE!" I turn to Kuro, as a sword handle floats from me to him. "I suppose you might need it more than me. Take it."

I grab the handle and examine it. It's like any handles, except it's covered in yellow, and there's a round thing on the handle. I feel like it has some kind of functions, since I know how advanced his world is. Maybe… But then… "Why did you give it to me?" "Needs someone to test it anyway. Also, it's to help you in fighting. Don't want to see my citizen die in vain, right? And you might want a back-up plan if things go south." I nod. He's very thoughtful, sometimes.

"How much do you have left, Kuro?" Death suddenly appears behind Kuro, with a stack of those green things floating next to her. She's not looking happy, and she's whining now "I already gave them to all of my friends and there's still this stack left! What are you going to do with it?"

Kuro apologies: "I'm sorry, I will take them back…" The stack with her disappears, along with his. "These ones will be my meal for at least one month." He sighs heavily.

Madam Nisa just laughs: "Another miserable moment in your life?" "Probably…Oh don't you dare Creator…"

Now everyone just looks at him curiously. We already know who the Creator is, but…it seems he's planning something that Kuro doesn't like much.

Alarak seems to know what's going on. "Kuro, is it because of the…"

Kuro nods. "Yeah. He's thinking about it. But we're not in the same boat now."

Father turns to me: "Uh…who's the nearly-naked girl?" "That's Death, father." I whisper to him, as he looks back at her in surprise. "Kuro made a direct contract with her when he became Charlotte's familiar."

"Kuro, a familiar? And he let it happen?" "Seems so. But he knew about the contract and countered it by his own power." "That sounds more like him, not letting anyone controlling him directly."

Kuro: "By the way, how are the Pylons doing so far? This world doesn't really have any good materials for supply."

Alarak: "Luckily this world's magic can give us enough power, like Psi power to supply our strength."

Kuro then looks at the sky, then back at Alarak: "No air support? Or you have some ways to cloak them?"

Alarak: "We're Taldarim. We would find a way."

Kuro shrugs, then turns to madam Nisa: "Everything is ready?" She nods. He then turns to me and my father. "Terry and Guiche, command your soldiers to start taking position around where the Protoss are stationing. We will fight there to minimize the damage to the village."

My father takes another look around, then… "Should I use my ultimate spell to protect the village to the maximum?" Ultimate spell?

Kuro shakes his head. "No. Rebuilding a village is easy. Protecting a human's life… You should keep your magic to protect your soldiers."

He nods. "I suppose so. Guiche, let's go back and gather our friends. We have our duties to fulfill."

Nighttime

"It's not fun at all."

"*Laugh* Life is screwing with you for sure. Enough about the food, is it true you blasted our world?"

"I had to. Sorry about it."

"No need to worry about it. You did what it needed to be done. Also, you have found some others already, right? You don't have to feel guilty anymore."

"I guess so. Anyway, how's your life here so far?"

"Good enough, I guess. Not really as the same as before…"

"Are you going to ask Aqua out again?"

"Do you think she wants to?"

"You two did have good relationship before right?"

"And you and her daughter are a couple now. No way I can ask her out that easily."

"Oh come on. Just a friendly date wouldn't hurt…"

"With you following us, no."

Right now, Kuro, my father and I are sitting around a campfire, along with madam Nisa and Siesta. The two girls are watching the men bickering with each other. I did talk a bit, but then their conversation derailed to that.

I decide to ask them: "What's your relationship with madam Marietta, father?"

My father chuckles: "Well, let's just say, I got friend-zoned by her."

I blink. My father is known for the fact he's very attractive to the women around him. But hearing someone denying his feelings is…absurd.

Kuro explains: "I did tell you they're at the same team. It's kind of normal in Gamindustri. However, Aqua didn't really want to enter a relationship back then, that's why she denied Terry, politely might I add. But after that, they're still good friends."

"And for some reasons the girls felt for you. And you just denied all of them."

Kuro: "Ouch. But, you know how I was during that time."

"Naïve, shy. And with a mind of a teenage boy. Seriously, everyone just forgot that, and also you actually look much older than your age."

Nisa: "By the way, is everything in the new Gamindustri alright now?"

Kuro nods. "Yes. Everything's in order again. Once we deal with this world's problems, you can go back there anytime you want."

I then ask Kuro: "When did you know I'm your citizen?"

Kuro: "I didn't know actually. However, I made a guess when T.O rescued Aqua. It makes enough sense for me to jump to conclusion."

 _You made a conclusion, or us discussing it with you?_

Kuro throws his arms up: "Oh come on T.O! Don't ruin my moment like that!" Everyone just laughs at his childish expression.

My father asks, after he stopped himself from laughing too much: "That aside, what do you really want to tell us?"

Kuro drops his 'childish' mood and turns serious: "Not really much, but I want you all to be extra careful tomorrow. The Creator told me Wardes and Cromwell might lead the invasion. Cromwell, I will make sure to deliver him to Death herself, but I want to keep Wardes alive. If we could bring up a good enough treat, maybe he would follow us again."

Siesta: "If I can ask… Why do you really think we can convince him? He's ready to kill Prince Wales with no problems…"

Kuro: "Maybe so. But, when it comes to war, we always have to keep our mind to prepare for any kills. Even if we don't want to, and we don't have a heart to do so, but when you have to make a call, you have to do so." Silence. "But I REALLY don't want you to directly kill anyone, but life is life."

My father shakes his shoulder. "Don't be. You can't protect forever, and this is not Gamindustri. This is our new world, and we cannot follow the old traditions. And…are you going to take us to Gamindustri as well?"

Kuro: "That's your choice. You have a new life now, and I can't decide it for you. But you all will always be my friends, and my citizens forever without a doubt."

Nisa smiles: "Still the same Kuro we knew. Alright, about those food…"

We look at Kuro's behind. Death is currently eating a piece of it, along with…many young ghosts, many in their teenage ages. They're speaking in their native language, as Kuro told us so, so we can't understand what they're saying, but it's probably some good stories, given that they look very happy. I look back at Kuro. "They really like that?"

Kuro: "It's like you enjoying food that's from another nation. It's not different. Also, you want another one?" He then gives me a plate with one piece. "I have enough, but thank you for the offer." One is already making us full, and Kuro is going to eat them for a while…Yeah, might be a torture to him.

* * *

The next day, Wardes' POV

Cromwell: "Lighten up, Wardes. There's no way our invasion would fail. I mean, all of our ships are here…"

"Do you remember about the loss of our ships when the Loyalists escaped? They got shot down by a Dragon…"

"Bah! That's just a wild dragon. It wouldn't be here for Brimir's sake. Also, I'm sure there's a traitor in our midst, if the Lexington was being taken back that easily."

"About the letter…"

"You just got unlucky. Don't be so down about it."

'I doubt it's unlucky. That person, Kuro, had to be the one behind it.' I remembered when I got the letter and opened it with Cromwell, we thought that the alliance between Germania and Tristain will be shattered. But, when we opened the letter, we're surprised to look at words that's definitely not from the Princess. 'Sorry Wardes, but you got the wrong letter!' if I remembered right. And even the hidden letter after I retreated back to my room. 'I'm the one who called you to La Rochelle, not Queen Marianne. I knew you're the traitor from the beginning. But, I want you to reconsider to come back to Tristain's side. With that done, you can continue your mother's research with us with no problem, and without being killed.' Tempting offer, but…I look at the direction where we're heading. 'Village of Tarbes…From here, we can attack the capital of Tristain.' Then I look back to the Cromwell's army. 'At least 50 battleships, with dragon knights, foot soldiers and mages… Those people won't stand a chance.'

"Viscount Wardes…" I snap back to the sound. It's not from Cromwell, but rather Sheffield. "Can you lead the Dragon Knights and scout ahead first? We need to make sure our ships have a clear sky." I nod, then whistle to call my Griffin…

A moment later, we're flying above a clear ground just outside the village. But…while we're expecting people working around, we found none. No sight of a human being seen.

"Viscount, what's the meaning of this?" One of the leaders of the Knight Squads asks me, clearly confused of what we're seeing.

"I'm not sure. But, if I would make a wild guess, maybe my ex-fiancee has warned the Queen about my betrayal and she has evacuated the citizens out."

"That makes sense, except one point." Another leader asks. "How can they pinpoint which village to do so? Except if there's a traitor, like we've discussed before. Maybe it's the same one who took the Lexington."

"Maybe…Or, they just evacuated any village in the boundary. We're just a bit late…"

"Wouldn't it be good to us?" We look at one of the Knights. "I mean we don't have to waste our force just to eradicate objections in our way, right?"

He brings up a good point. But… "Just for safety, we make another round to make sure no one's here. It could be a trap from Tristain." The others nod and start taking position to observe. The idea is right, but how did they act that fast? Wait, Prince Wales and the King escaped…maybe they're the one requesting it. And that Kuro, as well… He may not be what he looks like, especially the stunts he pulled out…

Once we confirmed there's no one here, we flew back to report, and Cromwell ordered the army to come closer to the land. The plan was to let the foot soldiers start spreading around and gaining areas to attack if things go out of hand. Then, once it's done, the others will make a base here, and from that, we attack Tristain's capital. That's an ideal plan…

If we aren't currently hearing a music sound now. We all look down to see, on the roof of a village's house, a person is lying on it and playing an instrument. I try to look how he looks like, and…that person is wearing a white coat…

Cromwell and Sheffield look a bit surprised for different reasons. "Did you say there's no one there, right? Then why's that person there?" "Maybe he's just being left behind. But then why…"

I connect all the dots in my head, and realize…why nobody, aside from him, is here, and how the Loyalists escaped without us noticing…

"ALL CANNONS! FIRE AT THAT PERSON'S DIRECTION! WE'RE COMPROMISED!" The soldiers around me are surprised to hear my order, even Cromwell and Sheffield.

Cromwell: "What do you mean, we're compromised? There's only one person there and…" He stops abruptly as a bullet flies right next to his head, just an inch of nearly killing him. We look down to where the bullet's shot, to see the person has stood up, a gun of some kind is pointing to us. And after that shot, soldiers including mages appear out of thin air, their weapons and wands pointing right at the ship next to us and fire, completely destroy it.

Cromwell is surprised by the development, as he turns to me: "You said there's no one down there. How could you miss the whole army like that?"

I point to the person, which now I can confirm is Kuro. "That person is the WHOLE reason why we received failure in Albion. He's possibly the one who hid the army, somehow, and made that sudden attack." While I'm speaking, the other ships start attacking the ground force already. But for some reasons I don't see any air forces, or… "Cromwell, order some of the ships to start firing in the air. We have to make sure…" A strange red ball of light appears in front of us, and then, a beam of light strikes a ship, making it falling to the ground, and also damaging the nearby ships. "It's too late for the warning." I jump on my griffin again. "Start firing. I have to warn you, we're fighting against not just the Tristain's army, but also a private army as well. And don't bother trying to kill the white coat guy, he's immortal." I fly away after seeing their baffled faces. I shout to nearby Dragon Knights: "All of you! Try to find where all of these airships are, and give reports to the ship commander to shoot them down!" They salute and start heading to the direction of the light ball before and fire spells to the direction. Like I thought, the spells hit something, however they're also vanished instantly. Even fireballs spells, it should have ignited what it touches, but no, the same result, even with my lightning spells…

Then, those ships appear…cladding in the same black color, with red being their outlines…these are bigger than all of the battleships I have ever since, one of them could easily overwhelm 4 of our ships. Then, higher on the sky, moving slowly, is a massive structure that could cover a whole city with no problem. The structure has a shape of a triangle with a wing-like rotating around the core, which has a red crystal, shining in the middle of it. A transparent orb is surrounding it, preventing any attacks we throw to it. The smaller ones see us, as they turn their head. We instantly command our rides to fly out of the harm ways as they fire those light beams again. They don't hit us, but destroy even more ships of ours. We're fighting a lost battle now.

"SIR WARDES, what are we going to do now? Everything we do is useless against these things! Those are nothing we have ever seen during our life!" I bite my lips. It's true, we're wasting energy for nothing in dealing with these.

"We better fly down and help the ground force, HOPING the cannons from our ships buy us some time to clear below."

"Eliminate the ground force and retreat, sir?" "Reduce their numbers, not eliminate. I'm sure we don't have enough strength to do so."

And how right I am. When we can see the land clearly, our army are struggling against Tristain's soldiers, but…I didn't see any blood around the fighting ground? I did see some of them being burned alive after being hit when in the fallen ships. Also, aside from normal human, there are…creatures we've never seen before. Their skins are gray with hair-like-things on their head. Showering in the same black and red color like those ships in the air, some of them run in the front line and start knocking everyone down, despite the fact we're shooting, both our guns and spells, to them, as a similar orb to the ships surrounding each of them. The others just fire some kind of energy balls to our men, causing them to scream in agony, but most of them are just unconscious, very few being burned to dead. They even have some 4-leg things shooting anywhere our soldiers are. But their damages are nothing compare to their leader. With a full black armor with sharp edges, he runs down and swats the Rebels like they're ants, and he even constantly calls out red waves of force that either knocks all of the soldiers to the air, or just outright kills them. About the soldiers of Tristain… they're not much, but somehow, all of the mages can handle ours very well, even in close combat. Wait…there's General Gramont? Now I see why, he trains his men very hard. But…most of the mages are actually from the Academy of Magic…what's going on here?

"They're trained by me, what do you expect?" I instantly fire a spell to my right, only to hit a circle. Once the spell ends, I have a clear look at Kuro, only this time, he has three pairs of wings with different designs on his back, a black and white armor and mask on the face. His features change a bit, but with that tone of voice, it's no doubt that's him.

I sigh. If he's here, then the fight is already over from the beginning. "Those strange creatures and structures…they're your army?"

"You know about it, and you didn't warn your allies?"

"They didn't believe it, not one bit. They're that arrogant."

"Then why bother working with them? Haven't you read my letter to you?"

"I did. But honestly, your idea was too farfetched. How are you going to end a 6000-year war?"

"By using the problem itself." "What do you mean?" "Come back with us and we will explain. But, I want you to NOT stand in my way to kill Cromwell. I don't like killing you when I know you have a good motive…" He stops as one of the spells hits his left wings.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SIR WARDES?" All of the remaining Dragon Knights are flying around us, their wands pointing at Kuro. "Why didn't you kill him? He's right in front of you."

I raise my hand, signaling them to stop. "It's no use. He won't die, even if I use my most powerful spell. You all drop your wands now."

One leader looks very pissed. "With all respect, sir. This person is our enemy. We're ordered to kill everyone on sight…"

"That's killable. You see my spell earlier, right? He constantly has those with him. And I witnessed by my own eyes that he could still stand after taking shots to the heart AND the head. Wasting energy on him wouldn't do any good."

"And be thankful that I let a lot of you live. Seriously, uniting Halkeginia with war? You sure have a lot of time with you." Kuro looks at us, somewhat disappointed.

The Dragon Knights don't take it lightly. "Don't be such a smart***. You got us surrounded you, you have nowhere to escape."

"Who got surrounded?" Kuro asks us with tint of mischievousness. We look behind us and, except me, those creatures are floating there, their hands are shining in red. "Either you surrender, or you're gonna be like the fallen ships. Your choice."

* * *

Guiche's POV

"He sure takes his time." I mumble, while hitting a Rebel soldier with the **thunder blade** , causing him to fall on the ground unconsciously. I look at the sword, remembering what happened a bit earlier. Kuro asked us to use as many non-lethal spells as possible, however all the spells would be lethal if we hit anyone that's fated to die here, even the weakest windblast. During the fight, I summoned my Valkyries, unarmed and with a blunt hammer, and practically whacked everyone in the head, sometimes I needed to call a shield Valkyrie to protect my friends against strayed bullets/spells. During our advance, somehow a soldier got pass through my Valkyries and tried to stab me with his lance. In that moment, I unconsciously raised the handle Kuro gave me yesterday and pressed the circle. Instantly a **fire blade** appeared and basically burned the lance mid-swing, along with its owner. I was surprised that I released the circle, and the blade disappeared. While taking back control of my Valkyries, I examined the handle to see that, there are four color: red, green, blue and yellow. The first three I have tested, and the results: red is indeed the fire blade, blue is for **ice** and not water like I though, green is just a normal blade. And yellow is what I just used.

"I don't think he wants to kill all of the Rebels. He thought most of them are being forced into this war of Cromwell." My father speaks to me, after crushing another soldier with **his armored punch.** His armor is at least 6-meter tall, even bigger than that Alarak guy. Shining in gold with a massive sword on his right hand, he creates a wave of wind to knock everything in front of him. I take the soldiers' moment of surprise to order my Valkyries to continue their job.

"Is he still too naïve or he just doesn't want to see bloodshed?"

"He's a pacific person, if you have forgotten. Even when he acted like a psychopath, he would never kill anyone without a good re-check on that person. He didn't kill you when you tried to kill him, remember?" I nod, while knocking out another one. "But, it seems Cromwell is not redeemable, so he's going to kill him, and take back something."

"Something?" Another one.

"It belongs to the Water Spirit in Gallia." Another one.

"The lake that's near Mon-mon's home?" Another one.

"Yes, that one. It's for the trade for her tear." And another… "Stop that, it's annoying." Sorry.

"Then, why didn't he just get straight to him and finish the job?"

"Maybe he wants the Rebels to stand down and realize what horrible things they're doing. After no one's agreeing with Cromwell anymore, he could kill him easily."

"Kill?"

"Hmm…maybe just arrests him, and let the Loyalists doing their jobs. I'm not sure about it."

"Yeah…Albion's not really his zone of responsibility."

* * *

Back to the sky, Wardes' POV

I look the situation around me. Those ships flying on top of us could eliminate every ship we're having without problems. Even if we somehow destroy those shields, Kuro would block the following attacks. And then the ground units are not processing to anywhere…And we're about to be blasted out of the sky if we refuse to surrender…

"How many…" Suddenly a young knight flies near me and asks Kuro: "How many citizens have you evacuated? From what sir Wardes told us, you're the reason the Loyalists escaped without us even noticing."

"What are you doing? Return back to the formation!" One of the leaders orders him, but he doesn't budge. "Sir, aren't you tired of hearing Cromwell spilling nonsense everyday? I respect you, but why can you follow him any longer to this point? First is the half victory in Albion, and now we're being mowed down by their army. And even the whole 'Holy Land's Invasion', what could we gain after that?"

Another leader shouts at him: "Are you crazy? The elves are a thorn to our eyes for over 6000 years already! And because of them, Brimir is dead!"

"That's in the past! There's an elf living near our village. She helps all of us a lot, and even plays with our kids. There's no malice in her…"

"YOU HAVE AN ELF NEAR YOUR VILLAGE? WHY DIDN'T YOU REPORT THAT TO US?"

"I'm sure his whole village's protecting her, not just him." All of us turns to Kuro. "By the way, if your family's members were not killed BEFORE the evacuation, then don't worry, none of them died that day."

The knight smiles brightly after hearing the news, but the leader before asks Kuro: "How can you be so sure? There're thousands of people you're talking about…"

He suddenly points to something behind us, and we turn back… is that…

Kuro speaks: "Hey, Death, nobody aside from the Rebels were killed in that day, right?"

That skeleton just makes a motion of nodding…And, did Kuro just call it Death…then…

Kuro: "That's your answer. Now…" He shrugs. "Cromwell was NOT going to save the citizens, but I did. You want to follow whom, it's your choice…Death, kill that beast, please."

The skeleton suddenly swings its scythe to its back, and cuts a gargoyle in half. After that monster's killed, we see that there're more of them, each holding a sword and having a predator look to us.

"Well, excuse me…" Kuro floats towards them. "Unless you want to be killed, then stay clear out of my way." In his hands, a white sword and a black one appears. He then crosses them in front of him, then swings both, creating X-wave of energy towards them, annihilating everything on its course. From the predator looks, the gargoyles are surprised by the sheer strike from him. Not letting them having a chance to fight back, Kuro rushes to the remains and starts the slaughter. Some of the gargoyles try to attack him, but they are met with shields that make their efforts go to waste. When he attacks, they try to block with swords and some with shields, only to be chopped in half along with its their weapons. Turn back and run away? A blast to the back would be the last thing they feel before Death claims their life.

All Dragon Knights look at the feat before them in awe and surprise. The knight before tells me: "Sir, we should surrender. He's way stronger than us, and I feel that he could lead us better than Cromwell."

"You should. Kuro has allied with a lot of forces, and they're working together now." While we're expecting the skeleton to be the one speaking, we find out that it comes from a little girl holding Death's scythe earlier. "Also, he's going to unite Halkeginia with more reasonable purposes, not like Brimir who tried to eradicate the Elves just because he's jealous."

I speak up because everyone else is confused now: "Uh, who are you, young girl?"

The girl tilts her head: "I'm Death. Why are you all so confused?"

… You know what? I'm not questioning anything right now. I sheath my sword back to the scabbard. "So, you're Death, then…you know what happened 6000 years ago, right?"

The girl nods. "Then, you know that the Elf sent someone to kill Brimir, right? Who was it?"

She shakes her head: "No, the Elf didn't send anyone." What?

"Then, how did he die?"

"He was killed by an Elf, indeed, but not from the outside. He was killed by Sasha, his first familiar, and the only Elf familiar up to now." That information shocks both me and the knights around him.

The young knight then asks: "Then, all what we have assumed about the Elves are all wrong?"

"Eh…not really. But you might want to ask Kuro for that. He can give you a better idea than me. I'm not human, so I'm not sure if my words would be easy to understand."

I look at Kuro, who's still wrecking the monsters. "Him? After what he has done, we won't count him as a human."

"Believe it or not, he WAS human." That silences all of us.

After a while, the gargoyles are no more. Kuro starts heading to the ship where Cromwell and Sheffield are, and we follow him but stay a good distance away. Then he touches the floor of the ship, he turns back to the appearance the first time I met him. The two big swords are replaced by two thin swords, as he looks at the culprits of the war before him. Sheffield looks a little pissed now, and Cromwell is cowering in fear.

"Sheffield…" Kuro begins after a minute of silence. "Do you really expect your little squad to give a jump on us? You better surrender now, or…I will make sure you're brought back to Gallia for the Orleans to be judged."

Sheffield snorts. I understand, I heard that the Duchess de Orleans is sick now, and her daughter is being sent to the Academy in Tristain to…wait a second…the Academy is where Louise, her familiar and Kuro are staying…then… "The Duchess de Orleans? Please, I'm sure she's still sitting in her colony, looking blankly to the sky."

"Your update is quite slow for someone's called the Mind of God." She steps back a bit, surprised at his remark. "Yes, I did know about your runes on your forehead, even though you're trying to hide it. If you haven't known already, the Orleans' heiress is my ally now, her mother is cured and becomes more powerful than her past, and…we have two Gandalfrs on our side." TWO? There're two Void mages in the Academy right now?

Cromwell is stuttering, but then smirks dangerously. I realize what he's about to do. "KURO! Look out!"

Kuro turns his head to me, confusion written on his face. Cromwell takes that moment and points the ring of Andvari to Kuro. "Kneel to your new master now!" Cromwell says victoriously when the ring shines brightly. But then, his face shows fear when Kuro turns back to him, his features show no sight of being controlled by the ring, and he looks disappointed. Then, before we could even blink, Kuro's right in front of Cromwell and does an uppercut with his sword, slashing Cromwell's arm with the ring out. Kuro then grabs the ring and puts it in one of his pockets, as Cromwell grabs what's left of his arm and screams in agony. And Sheffield just…stands there and watches what happened.

Kuro asks her: "You don't care about him, don't you?" "He's just a pawn of my master's plan…" "Joseph…" "I'm surprised you know." "You don't know me much. Now, what are you going to do now?" Then, with a swift move, she draws a hidden dagger and instantly stabs Cromwell in the neck, causing all of us to be in surprise and Cromwell to grab his neck, desperately trying to cover the wound with no success and falls to the floor, dead.

Kuro just looks at the corpse, then back to Sheffield. "Was that necessary?" She just puts back his dagger. "He has spent his usefulness, and this army as well." Then, a portal appears behind Sheffield. "It's been a fight from you, but I will make sure you won't ruin my master's plan…" She's about to walk into the portal when: "Even when he doesn't love you after all?"

She turns to see Kuro, with a bit of anger in her eyes. "Don't you dare talk about my master's feelings to me like that." He shrugs. "Your choice of thinking about it." She glares at him once more then walks in, and the portal closes instantly after that.

I land next to him. "Why do you let her go that easily?"

Kuro takes out the ring and examines it. During that, he talks to me: "Cromwell, he's rotten to the core, and I was about to give him to James, but she beat me to it. About herself…she's having a blinded love with Joseph, or at least that's my assumption. The next time we meet, I will confirm it, and then decide her fate."

We stay silence a bit… Then: "What are you going to do to us now? The leader is dead…"

"Who said the leader is dead?" I turn to him. "I understand. However, the CURRENT leader of this force is dead, right?"

"If that's what you mean…we wait for James and Wales to take back Albion."

… "So this fight is not the matter from the beginning?"

"It still is. If you managed to claim this village, then Cromwell might order the soldiers to kill the citizens here, and you know how I would react if that actually happened…"

"You won't even let any of us live, will you?" "Yes."

The fight has stopped after Kuro approached Cromwell and Sheffield, and now the army of Tristain is getting the soldiers of former Rebels to stand up. Those ships on the sky are disappeared as well as the ground creatures. We're now just standing, waiting for anything to happen…

Then, something makes a sound, and it comes from Kuro. He pulls out something and puts it on his ear: "Hello, Adam. How's the situation there?" Who's he talking to? "Uh…why are you hesitating?... Ridiculous, how? Give me the goddamn pictures…" He then puts it out of his ear and waves it before him, and then multiple rectangles appear before us. And I'm surprised to see the images of Albion's city in front of me. But the strange thing is…the city is covered by something yellow and brown… and soldiers are struggling inside it.

Death lands next to Kuro and asks him: "Wow, what happened to the city of Albion?"

Kuro doesn't say anything at first… "Adam…" Saito's face appears in one of those things. "Put Neptune in front of the screen now." He salutes to Kuro and disappears from the 'screen', and a woman with long purple hair and eyes replaces his place. "Why are you there, Neptune? I thought you're in Gamindustri, at least in Hyperdimension…"

The woman uses one of her knuckles to knock on her head while smiling, one eye winking at him. "Sorry, I was just traveling with Crostie when she just teleported us here. Luckily we ran into Adam, so we're not in danger…"

"And I assume you did all of those I'm watching right now?" Now she raises her fingers in V letter and puts it in front of her right eye. "Bingo! I'm the one who stopped their advances!"

Kuro just slams his palm to his face. "I know the idea is a bit farfetched, but for it to actually happened…" Then he mumbles something that I can't hear. "Never mind, we'll be there shortly…"

"Okey-dokey Kury!" That rhymes, and Kury? Then all of the things disappear, as he turns to me. "Let me talk with the Tristain army to stand down, then I will teleport all of us to Albion to talk to James, is it okay?" "Like we have any other choices." He shrugs and then disappears, probably he's on ground level now. Death is also not here too, along with the corpse of Cromwell.

One of the leaders of Dragon Knights lands next to me. "We're going to surrender ourselves to the Loyalists that easily?"

"Better that, or we're annihilated. We all see what that person can do, and he could probably have done more than that. Besides, his ideal is the same to us, it's just that he's doing it in a more peaceful way. We should appreciate that."

"If what he said is the truth…" He looks to the ground, then back to me. "But we're Albion's soldiers, and you're from Tristain." "I know. But now, I will just follow him. Either way, I'll be punished for my betrayal." "I wish you luck, Sir Wardes." "You as well."

* * *

Albion, Saito's POV

"Well, looks like Kuro's not very happy…"

Neptune: "Nonsense! He should be happy about it! None of them are killed, right?"

"Not really, you're a bit slow. You did save a lot of them though…But the method to do so is…ridiculous. If that happened in Gamindustri, I can understand. But, here?"

Wales looks dumbfound like I am. "Yeah…how you look at it in anyway, it didn't make any senses…"

Yesterday, Kuro called us for a meeting and told King James, Wales and me to lead the Loyalists to head back to Albion to regain the nation. But during the middle of the fight (for at least half an hour), Big Neptune just fell through a portal and landed right on the Royal Sovereign. When we explained what happened here, she just outright casted those puddings right on the enemies. And thus ended the fight…quite instantly.

I turn to Neptune. "By the way, are those puddings even edible?"

Neptune: "I guess so…." "Guess so?" "I mean, I did eat them before, but ended up having stomachache for eating too much…" Typical Neptune…

"You deserved that! You don't even share it with me!" Croire's voice is heard from the Nep-note.

Neptune: "Oh come on! You did eat some of them…"

Croire shouts: "Only AFTER you suffered from the stomachache that I had a chance to get out!" Then those two just start bickering with each other, like usual.

I decide to jump in before it goes any further: "We're appreciated by your help, but shouldn't you return back now?"

Neptune: "Why going back now? I'm having a perfect opportunity to find more of the unique bugs here. And I'm a traveler, so I'm not staying in one place." Good point.

"REBELS' SHIPS ON OUR RIGHT SIDE! PREPARE TO ATTACK!" The lookout shouts from his position, as the soldiers run to their locations and prepare to…

"Loyalists' army, stand down. The Rebels have surrendered. Drop your weapons." Kuro appears in the middle of the air, as everyone recognizes who he is and slowly loosens their poses.

I decide to call him out: "Hey, Kuro! Our work here is done! Should we accompany King James before we return back?"

Kuro lands to the ship. "Yes. The fight for Albion is over. Now, let's meet the King and let him do the speech. Then, we return back to Tristain's capital."

After that, and a round of applause for us, Croire opens a portal for us to walk into. In the other side of the portal is the throne room in the Palace, and we can see the Queen, Henrietta, Lyrica and Cave. Kuro has taken them here so that Henrietta and Lyrica can stay side-by-side since they're technically master and servant. And Cave will only stay by Lyrica's side.

And Agnes points her gun instantly to Wardes' head without a word, but then Kuro grabs the gun and lowers it down. She looks extremely reluctant about Wardes walking freely, but she knows Kuro has his reasons for letting it happen.

Kuro speaks: "Your Highness…We have told you about Wardes' betrayal, but, I want you to consider a chance for him to work for you, for Tristain, again. His fate is in your hand, but choose widely." Kuro steps back and lets Wardes walk and kneel before the Queen.

A long silence…no one dares to speak a word, even Neptune once she knew how serious this situation is…

"Why?" Wardes looks up to see Henrietta questioning him. "Why did you betray us in the first place? Did we do anything bad to you? If so, then in the present of all citizens in Tristain, I…"

"That's not the case, Princess Henrietta." Wardes interrupts her. "Permission to speak freely, your Highness?" Both the Queen and the Princess look at Kuro, and he gives a nod to them. The Queen speaks: "You may."

Wardes: "Thank you. The reason I betrayed you, betrayed Tristain…It's because you're weak. You tried to leave the Princess to rule the nation on her own, despite that the citizens were needed of your guidance. Then, you tried to create shaky alliances with the nations around you. From that point, I thought…the nation is going to fall, and I have to…ally myself with the other nations to survive. And Joseph, in the past, gave me more things than you did, and he's the key for me to fulfill my mother's last wish. That's why I turned my back against you. I have nothing to defend myself, it's my own decision to act like I have done." Then he becomes silent again, waiting for the Royal to give him the punishment.

"Is that so?" The Queen then walks down to him and offers him a hand, who's surprised by the development when he raised his head. "Then, I should say my sincere apology to you. Back then I was too broken down to think straight. My love died, and I felt the world fallen around me. I cared little after that, and just locked myself in the room. The only person that could keep my sanity is my own daughter, and yet, I nearly lost her a while ago. Only when T.O talked some senses into me, then I took back the throne and let my daughter have her own life for now. And, Kuro has shown me his kindness and forgiveness towards so many people, so I'm going to do the same. You're forgiven, but I advise you to think more clearly before doing anything."

Wardes' face shows that he's shocked by this, then…he chuckles and grabs the Queen's hand and kisses it. "I won't fail you a second time. It'll be my honor to serve you again." Well, it seems things have run in the right course, for the time being…

*Steady breathings* I turn to my right, to see that Kuro is sleeping, while standing. At least he's not making loud sounds, but it's still hearable. But maybe it's only me, because the others don't focus on him. I nudge him a bit, he doesn't even move one bit.

Agnes now notices him too, as she pokes his head from behind. "Hey Kuro, wake up." No reaction.

Now everyone else sees it now. Cave just walks to him, and then swings her sword right at his head. He's not even budged. Henrietta gets curious and tries to push him, same result.

"Can you not?" We can hear Kuro's voice, but his mouth is not moving. "Don't try to move my body. Right now the body's in standby mode, so it won't go anywhere."

Lyrica asks: "Then, where are you now?"

Kuro: "Currently in Gallia, I'm giving the Spirit her ring back, and placing some more defense systems for her."

Everyone: "Defense systems?"

Kuro: "Just some curses and spells, nothing too much. And don't you dare throw that bucket of water to my body, Neptune." We look behind him to see Neptune is indeed having a bucket in her hands. She just pouts after being detected and puts it on the floor. "Now, after I'm done here, I will teleport my body, Saito and Neptune back to the Academy. Wardes, try not to upset anymore people, okay?" He just nods, still shocked about the whole thing.

I suddenly remember: "What about Nisa's village?"

Kuro: "The people are saved and the village is not damaged very badly. Terry and Guiche will help the people there. It's no longer our territory to help now. And you KNOW what I mean by that." I just nod. Probably he can see that. He's already helping too much, more and he might be the middle of the attention. "Anyway, I'm going to finish up soon. Wait just a few moments…"

I interrupt him: "How about I use my own airbus? You would have more time to put better security for the Spirit."

No answer yet… "Yeah, that would be good. I will see you later." Then his body just disappears.

I bow to the Queen: "It's time for us to come back. We will get in touch with you in the future. Is there anything else you want to ask us before we go?"

The Queen shakes her head: "Not really. However, in a few days, we will make an announcement for the alliances between nations. You and your friends will be our honor guests. Also, after this, Henrietta will study in the Academy for a long time. I hope you and Kuro can accompany us to that point."

I salute this time: "Don't worry, it's our honor to be her friends." I stop a bit. "Although, since you know we're from different universe, so Kuro might have a plan to connect our worlds via portals."

Agnes: "He would do that because…"

"He can't really take the Duchesses and Dukes back to Gamindustri if they are used to this world. But they're still his citizens, so he still has the red carpet ready for them to come back to our home."

Since no one's asking anymore, I mention Neptune to follow me, which she does. I call out my airbus and start entering it when Wardes stops me a bit. "Saito, may I ask you to tell Louise to forgive me?"

On one point, I want to help him. On the other hand, Louise might get even more furious, and I'm not going to block her anger for him. "Eh, you might want to speak to her directly. I'm not a good talker." And I give him the look of 'I'm not defending you, that's your own fault'. He gets the message.

* * *

When I and Neptune returned, I was really expecting to take a bit of rest. And guess what? I and Linda are using magic to block Iris Heart from 'ravishing' Tiffania. Reasons? SOMEHOW the girls started talking about the boys and…well…they just picked the words that triggered Iris Heart. And since Tiffania is basically the most innocent girl around here…

"Plutia, just please turn back…"

"Ara ara, how adorable of you trying to protect her. But, she's not going to be like that forever. Better sooner than later…"

Linda: "Iris Heart, please. Don't you see she's shaking in fear now?"

Iris Heart: "But I just want to 'educate' her. There's nothing wrong with that." Nothing is wrong, except it's you who's doing the education. Then she's grabbed by Kuro, he returned back to his body awhile ago, and she tries to pry herself out with no success. Then she changes the tactic and try to intimate him. "Now now, Kuro, you want to replace the girl's placement? I would glad to do with you…" Which she receives a poker-face from Kuro. "You remembered I ran away from you out of fear, right? Don't force the poor girl like that." You're helping us or not, Kuro? Anyway, we retract our magic back as Kuro just brings Iris Heart on his shoulder, and then Charlotte while she's passing by, much to her surprise, and then just casually walks out of our views.

…

Linda fixes her glasses as she looks at me: "Is the Creator out of ideas to end this chapter?"

"Maybe…"

Yep, I am.

* * *

 **Chapter 12 end!**

 **Yeah... the ending is not good, I know. But I really don't know what to do for it.**

 **For Starcraft players who's complaining about Alarak possessing cloaking device, let me remind you this: The Protoss force Kuro used is his own, that's why the Taldarim's Mothership actually has the cloaking ability from the original one.**

 **Wardes. To be honest, I don't hate him, but don't like him either. So, letting him live is still a better choice.**

 **Guiche now has the sword, which is a bit obvious to anyone who has read my first story. If not, the sword is Z-Saber.**

 **This is the end of the chapter! See you in the next ones!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Not much to say otherwise, is it? It's too obvious now.**

 **I have to say, I'm going to end the story sooner than I thought. Not because I'm losing interest in it, but...I skipped a ton of events, so it's extremely hard to go back and write again. So, for anyone who wants to see the events like meeting Scarron or Beatrice, I may have to say my apology first. Of course, if the ideas suddenly come to me again, this won't be the last words from me.**

 **Also, I'm ending this chapter in the middle of night, so...my words are not so creative.**

 **To RedBurningDragon: That's easily what happened in the another world. I mean, talking about God in front of a non-believer, or even an anti-God person...**

 **Also, credits to you on the pudding part. I just like putting my readers' ideas into the stories. This way, the readers will have more fun with their own ideas.**

 **Overflowing the Academy...yeah, no, not after what happened in the Basilicom would Kuro let that happened again.**

 **So, enjoy chapter 13 everyone!**

* * *

A bit later, Saito's POV

Neptune: "Let me go! I want to get a better look at them!"

"No."

"Please! They are so unique!"

"No."

If you're wondering what we're speaking about, it's the familiars around us. She's trying to find a way to put them into her Nep-note. But, since nobody wants their partners to be contained like that, she's trying to 'stealthily borrow' them. And right now, I have to tie her into a chair, so she won't go anywhere until Kuro gets back.

Croire just laughs from her note: "Serve you right for locking me inside this book for the whole time!"

Neptune just pouts, and I can't help but sigh. Those two can talk back to each other anytime they can.

I suddenly feel a tug from my right side, and I turn to see Louise. "Did you find Wardes back there?"

"I did. However, he was in the force invading the village of Tarbes. Only after both our fights ended, did I meet him when we're in the Palace."

Louise slowly nods. Then, she asks: "What will happen to him?"

"Actually, he's forgiven." She turns surprised after the news. "Yes, he will serve for Tristain again. Though, he might be under heavy supervision. Luckily Her Highness is the one who directly gave out the orders, so he could be walking around without much troubles."

"That's good." She sighs in relief. Maybe she still has some feelings for him?

"You want to see him?" She stiffs after that. "Don't worry. You can meet him soon. But now, just focus on your studying. Maybe he will visit here in the future. And, you can ask Henrietta or even Her Highness to have permission to meet him." I grab her shoulder and assure so. She only nods after it.

Kirche approaches me: "So now you guys just take some breaks or…"

"Maybe so. Who knows what he has in his mind." Kirche seems not very convinced about my answer, but does not comment on it. And I'm NOT talking about Wardes.

Tiffania looks at Neptune wriggling to escape out of her ropes, her face shows concern. "Shouldn't we let her go? I mean, I know she's only curious in the familiars around us…"

"Sorry, Tiffa, but if we let her go loose, who knows how many familiars will be in her Nep-note."

Neptune, after being done bickering with Croire, turns to me. "Okay! I get the memo, okay? I will just go around and find things that's NOT owned by anyone, okay?" She's a little fuming now, and pouts, trying to use puppy eyes to me. Unfortunately for her, most of the times it works perfectly, but this time it's not.

Of course, doesn't mean I can keep her like that forever. And even Kuro would let her go without her trying to be cute, but he would just talk to her a bit, like how Histy talks to the Goddess Neptune about her duty every, single, day.

"*Sigh* Alright, alright. I will cut the rope. But promise to not bother anyone with this matter again, okay?" She nods furiously. When I release her, she stands up and salutes to me, and runs immediately out of our view. Probably she will find something interesting in the field outside of the school.

Louise: "That's…unique of her. Is she the same with the Goddess?"

"Their personalities are basically the same. Except that the Goddess is more of a gamer, and her is of a traveler."

Kirche: "So, do you have anything to do now?"

"Maybe I will go and check on Kuro first. If he grabs both Plutia and Charlotte back to her room…"

She snickers: "You think he might do something to them?"

"Not much actually. We already know his personality. And it's still too early for that, if you know what I mean." And I receive an instantly blast to the face by Louise.

"YOU PERVERT! Do you have to say that out in the opening?" Her face is red from embarrassment and a bit of anger. The explosion probably gives me some black marks on my face, because Tiffania walks to me and gives me a towel from a maid nearby. I thank her and try to clean my face, while speaking to Louise: "Come on now Louise, it's just a joke."

"JOKES OR NOT, IT'S NOT APPROPRIATED!" She would have shouted at me more, if not for Kirche to shove Louise's face right into her chest.

"Oh come on Louise, lighten up…" "KIRCHE, LET ME GO NOW!" "Why not? You like it, don't you?" "NO, I'M NOT! YOU'RE SUFFOCATING ME!" And they keep on like that, even after I have my face cleaned up. I decide to cut them short: "Aren't you having better things to do, rather than causing a scene here?"

"You caused one by tying up Neptune." Louise moves her head out of the two cushions. "But on seriousness, we did have a last class a few moments later."

"Then you better head to the class now. And I'm going to pick up Charlotte…"

"I will do so." Louise suddenly stops me. "You can go and vent out stress." What?

"Are you sure about it?"

Louise: "Positive. Besides, I need to ask him about something personal." Personal…Wardes, I see…

Kirche chuckles: "You want some alone time with…"

Louise just glares back. "It's nothing like that, and you know it."

I shrug. "All right, I won't stop you. But, better be back soon before the class starts." She nods and walks away. I turn to the direction of the sun. "Now, where's Neptune? Better vent out a bit of frustration to her. Her luck is high enough for me to miss her with my attacks."

* * *

Louise's POV

I really don't want to ask him, but I need to know why Wardes would come back to Tristain again. I know Wardes more than Kuro does. He's a determined man, he has gone through many challenges and became the Viscount I have known for years. Even if Kuro forced him to return, Wardes would have a motive to start working with Kuro again. If not, Wardes would rather fight him even when it's a losing battle…

I open the door leading to Kuro's house, since he knows only us would open the door freely. And when the door's fully opened…I'm seeing Kuro, having Charlotte and Plutia in his arms, watching TV. It wouldn't be a problem, if Kuro isn't hugging them a little bit too tight, and both of the girls' faces are red from embarrassment and their faces are touching Kuro's, directly…

"Ahem…" I cough in my hand, causing them to turn to me. "Do I want to know what happened in just a span of few minutes?"

Kuro just says "Cuddly…" while hugging them even closer, and making some pouty looks. My eyes twitch after looking at that. I did know about his 'hug' habit, but does it have limits? Then, he just drops his act and says: "On the other side, I was asking them about the next global day." Global day?

"What global day are you talking about?"

"International Women's Day." A day like that exists? "Yes, it exists. Reasons? You already can guess."

"Isn't that day like the Valentine day?" I heard what Valentine is from Saito, so maybe…

Kuro: "Actually it's not." Oh? "It's for commemorating the movement for women's rights." Women's rights? "I think you know this better than me. Women are considered to be always a weak side in the society, and the men are the superior. SO, when the women managed to find their positions at the same level as men, the world decided to make the day to be the International Women's Day."

That's…actually a great thing. As he has said, I do know that women are not very strong, both in their minds and their physical strength. Only a very few, including my mother, are the stand-outs. Even myself, if I didn't have any potentials in magic, no matter how much respect I gain, I still can't decide my own life. With this kind of day, maybe us girls can be ourselves without restrictions.

But then: "Isn't it a bit too close to the Valentine's Day? It's only two or three days since it happened…"

Kuro: "The Creator's time runs different than ours. It's been over two weeks since my return from my old world, and a week after I just brought Plutia and Charlotte back here."

How does time in his world run like that?

Kuro waves his hand: "Never mind the small details. Anyway…"

I interrupt him: "If you want to celebrate it, why didn't you ask Saito for help?"

Kuro: "Just recently knew it. Also, I have to calm down Iris Heart first."

"Then why did you carry Charlotte as well?"

His respond is the same like before, and this time I have a tick mark on my head. I AM very tempting to stab Kuro with an enhanced Void Spear, but I have to resist doing so. Reasons? It might hit Charlotte, and/or Plutia might be pissed. I sigh, walk to them and grabs Charlotte's hand, pulling her out of Kuro. "Anyway, we're about to have a class in a few moments. I will take Charlotte with me. See you later." When I and Charlotte walk out, I hear Kuro and Plutia saying their goodbyes to us.

During our walk back to the classroom, I turn to ask Charlotte: "I know you love him and such, but why didn't you resist him hugging you? There has to be a limit for it."

Charlotte just blushes and says nothing. I nudge her to get an answer, and she says: "It's embarrassing, yes, but it's also comfortable when he did so…I don't dislike it…" I resist the urge to facepalm. Even Chalotte is not immune to that. Seriously, if it goes any further, they might even… I shake that thought immediately out of my head. Bad mind, bad mind…

"Anyway, what did he talk with you two about the day?" I decide to change the subject. No need to dwell into it any further, or we're going to class with distorted minds.

Charlotte's face turns to normal. "He said he wanted to make an event to celebrate it, but he's not sure if the Headmaster allowed it."

I wonder… "I think the Headmaster would agree, anyway. He's a pervert, but he is a good man like Kuro." But then I remember something that makes me deadpan. "Though, if that old pervert tries to do inappropriate things…"

"Not happening. Kuro made sure of that."

"Then that's good. Oh, we better hurry. The class is about to start." About a few steps later… "I forgot to ask him about Wardes!"

* * *

Tiffania's POV

I have to say, I haven't had this much fun when I was living alone in the forest. Yes, the children from the village came and played with me occasionally, and I have Malthida with me. But, most of the adults avoided me. Not because they're afraid of me, but they feared they might get into troubles if people found out they're accompanying an Elf, and I understand. Even my birth is against nearly everything the people believed about the human and the elf's relationship: non-existence. And now…I'm studying with the students from Tristain, a different nation, with Malthida being one of the staff here. I can talk freely with the students here and learn much more about this world through the professors' lessons. I don't even have to hide my ears when I walk around, unlike back there. And I'm not the only elf here. Sasha, she's one of the first elf from 6000 years ago, and she's here because T.O saved her from the enraged people back then, when she killed their 'god'. She's the one teaching me about the elf's tradition cultures back then that possibly still exists now. She also helps me in practicing Void magic. Right now, my spells revolve healing, and I guess I'm more comfortable with it. I don't like getting hurt, or seeing someone in pain. Though, that would be for nothing when it comes to Kuro, the string puller of the recent events.

Right now, we're waiting for the teacher, professor Chevreuse, to come, when Louise and Charlotte walk in and sit next to us. Though, Louise is fuming at something…

I ask her what's wrong, and she answers: "I forgot to ask Kuro something important before going back with Charlotte."

"Is it something very important?"

"Well, not to you, but to me. I can ask him anytime, though."

Charlotte suddenly asks me: "How did you live before, when you're in Albion?"

That confuses me. Didn't I tell her about me living in a forest…

Charlotte: "What I mean is, do the people in the village treat you well? I heard from Kuro, that, a soldier from that village didn't tell his comrades about you. And Kuro knew that the people there also covered any tracks that leads to you. Is there a reason for that?"

OH, she thought the villagers might use me for some reasons. I answer: "I think it's because of my father. He's the Archduke, and he gained a lot of respect from the people during the time he's alive. My mother, an elf, also helped them a lot. The people, not the Nobles, knew about me and her. But when the King's men assaulted my home, my mom hid me away before I was killed. After that day, both my parents were gone, and a while later, the villagers found me when they're trying to find me, since the men didn't know I existed. When they found me, they helped build the house I was living and left me there so that no one would know. They vowed to hide me from the people's eyes until I was ready to face the world."

Charlotte looks down a bit. "Sorry for asking a sensitive topic."

I smile to reassure her. "Don't worry, you didn't know. Also, I'm curious, why did Kuro just grab you out of nowhere like that?"

She then blushes. "Pillow…"

Louise explains: "Kuro likes to hug, ESPECIALLY someone like us. So, when Charlotte was in his way, he just takes her up like that."

"Is that a bad thing?"

Both of them blush deeper. Montmorency looks at them disapprovingly: "You two aren't really against it, then why do you even try to avoid it?" Then she smirks: "Oh Louise, are you trying to think yourself being with Saito?"

Louise glares at her: "What about you, Mon-mon? What about you and Guiche?"

"Our relationship is being better, but that doesn't mean I will allow him to do anything, just yet."

Kirche joins in: "Another hugging time, Charlotte?" The girl just nods. "Seriously, this becomes a common thing around here. But it's not going to last long, you know."

Charlotte nods, still blushing. At that moment the Professor walks in and tells us to take our seats. Then, she starts her lesson…

* * *

After that, we return to our normal activities. To me, I decided to ask Malthida out for some bonding time. She agreed. So right now, we're outside of the school, sitting under a tree.

After a while, she speaks: "It's been a while since we had a relax time like this. How long have we had time with each other? Weeks? Months?"

"About three months actually. And then, I have never heard about you, until T.O came and told me about you."

Malthida chuckles: "Three months? Even in here, I can't get away with that shenanigan, can I?"

I tilt my head: "I said something strange?"

"No, not in the slightest. It's just that… It has been kind of a tradition which the number 3 is nearly in everything. And the start of that is actually our oldest Oracle, Histoire."

"She sounds like an important person."

"She is. She's the only one who holds the entire history of Gamindustri. All time histories, all events from the past…All is recorded by herself. And she's a very intelligence person…" Then she snickers. "But, she sometimes turns into the case of Old Osmond: being forgetful, and turning senile."

"Is she that old?" I ask innocently. I mean, if she records everything by herself…

"No. She's actually a doll-sized fairy." A…fairy? "But, that's how she approaches people. She's originally a tome, created by the First Goddess to write down everything about Gamindustri. Wait a second, did you meet her before? Oh, right, you haven't. Kuro only showed you the map of Gamindustri."

"It sounds like you had a good time back then."

"It's the opposite." Huh? She looks to the sky. "You remembered that I became Fouquet just to do dirty works to help you, right? Back then, I was named Underling because I did whatever people, mostly bad guys, asked me to do just to keep myself alive. I was always a loner, with no friends. Even that rat was just only an ally, and he eventually got killed before Kuro managed to save me." She chuckles sadly after remembering her past. "Pretty much before Kuro arrived, I was the bad guy, or girl, like Fouquet. But now…" She stops a bit. "I have a better life, and with you being with me…" She turns to me and smiles. "I now have a purpose to fulfill, and I don't have to scare about how I live anymore. All thanks to you." I can't do anything else but smile to her. Compared to her past, her life now is way better.

"Do you love him?" Her face freezes, as she turns at me. "Kuro, I mean."

She doesn't react at first, then bursts out laughing: "Him? No way, he's out of my league! And I don't love him either." She laughs more, before calming down a bit. "He's pretty much like the Planeptune's Goddess if he's not being serious. Just goofing around with people as much as possible. At least he's not as annoying as her."

"But, from what I heard from the others, many girls loved him…"

"Yes, there are girls like that. But the rest were just teasing him. You know how he is." Then, a pause. "Are you trying to do something to him?"

I tilt my head again: "No, why did you ask that?"

She waves her hands: "Nothing, nothing, just curiosity."

I change the subject: "How was your life after he helped you?"

"Much better. I and Warechu had been chosen to do transporting stuffs. At least it's more reasonable more than when we worked for ASIC, and occasionally we had some tips and/or free stuffs. Life had been better for all of us. The Goddesses had done the same to us before, but…his work had improved it even more."

"HELP! SAITO'S GOING TO KILL ME!" Neptune runs to us in panic, desperately trying to avoid the attacks Saito's throwing at her. She then hides behind Tiffania and tries to talk to Saito: "Just because my luck stat is high, doesn't mean it would help me dodging your attacks that easily!"

"Why not, it's doing its work so far..." Saito looks at Neptune menacing, his right hand wielding his katana dangerously. Malthida sighs heavily and summons a pillar of stone, which thrusts from below and hits Saito right to the chin, causing him to fall to the ground on his back. "You shouldn't push things like that, Saito." He sits up and rubs his chin. "I was just venting out a bit of stress. Sorry about that. But you don't have to do that, you know?" "I don't think you would stop if I didn't do so."

After that, we just sit next to each other and watch the two moons up to the sky. Neptune calls out some puddings for us (normal size) for us to enjoy, since to her: 'Pudding tastes better eating with others!' After a while, Neptune asks: "So…do you have any plans for the future?"

"I'm…not sure. I think I will return back to Albion after the war is over…"

Saito: "Why do you bother to return back? Shouldn't you just find a new home to live? Or at least stay with Malthida until so?"

"I know so. But, I can't depend on her forever. I need to walk on my own path."

Neptune says something, but we don't pay much attention. Malthida: "You don't have to think about it now. I will protect you with all of my power."

"And I'm thankful for that forever."

"Uh…girls?" We now look at Neptune. "I didn't mean that far. I mean, do you have anything to do in the next few days?" We sit there for a bit to process what she's saying.

… "Oh…"

* * *

The next day, Kuro's POV

"And the day passes, huh? And we didn't come up with any plans for them…"

Yep. Suck to be us.

"Did you have done anything back there?"

No.

"Life is hard…"

At least it's easier for you.

"You're right. Also, about Tiffania's past…"

We should ask James about it. I don't think he have thought through when he killed her parents.

"Yeah…If I didn't come, maybe he will kill even more elves…"

We can't really blame him. Brimir gave the humanity here the wrong accusation.

"Uh-huh."

I'm flying at Mach Three to get to Albion. Need some answers from him about Tiffania and Shajar before the alliance. If he does not truly want it to happen, then I better eliminate him now. A while later I'm landing in front of the castle. The bodyguards recognize who I am, as they let me walk inside with no problem. I find my way to his room, to see only James in there, looking over a map.

He looks up and sees me, as he waves his hand to me: "Hey, Kuro. Nice to see you…" But when he sees my 'not so happy' face, his smile fades a bit. "What can I help you today?"

I close the door behind me, and walk slowly to him. "I want to talk about the Archduke of Gallia and his 'mistress'." I emphasize the last word. "I heard from their daughter that, you sent a squad of men to come to her home, and killed her parents. May I ask, why did you give the order?"

He looks at me, surprise and a little bit of fear in his eyes. "May…may I ask…how did you…are you sure it's their daughter…"

"Yes, I'm sure of that." I stop just in front of him two steps away. "Now, I want an honest answer. Why? It's because he has an elf as his wife, or you're just a lunatic who wants to kill all of the elves, just like Brimir?" He's shaking a bit at how serious my question is, and the fact I'm not smiling a bit makes it worse.

Then, after a minute, he composes himself, fear is still there, and he bows to me. "I suppose I have to give you an apology. Yes, I ordered the men to kill them back then. But, it's only because we thought he's walking in the dark path, and that he would sell us out for a girl, much less an elf. So, we had to act first, before things went out of hand. Only when I met you, I knew that we're at the wrong, and we're trying to fix it in our own way, and also help you in uniting with the Elves. It won't excuse us for what we have done, but it will show that we didn't kill them in cold blood."

We stay like that for a few minutes. Then, I walk to him and put a hand on his shoulder as he looks up to my eyes. "If that's the reason, then I understand. Humans make mistake, I learn it myself. You had the right thought to do so, but, you missed the bigger picture. I forgive you. But, I want you to apologize to her directly at the next few days, and…don't make me regret my decision to let you live today." I don't raise my voice, because my statement will hold the threat already.

He nods, and I retreat my hand and walk to the door. But before I open it, James asks: "May I ask you this?" I turn to see him. "Do you think she will ever forgive me? Or at least, did she sound angry when she said about it?"

Slowly, I answer him: "Maybe, maybe not. One thing I know, it's that she understood why. She knew she was hated, but she never hates her parents just because of it. She accepted it, only because she might get killed so she hid from you all. I want you, to think wisely, before making any decisions in the future, okay?" He nods again, and this time, I walk out without anymore interruptions.

I walk out of the gate, the guards don't give me a second glance. I turn into Hybrid Heart and fly back to the Academy.

"So, a bad assumption and a bad action. I guess it's not bad enough for me to kill him."

We don't really want to waste his life now, do we?

"IF he's corrupted…"

I know, I know. Now, how are you going to get both Sasha and Tiffania to the Capital WITHOUT all of the citizens being freaked out?

"Let them freak out. Why not?"

You... might want to talk to the Queen before you go back to the Academy. If not, the guards there won't go easy on you all.

"Hmm, maybe…" I change my direction of flying to the Palace…

And when I land to the soldiers' training ground, I'm greeted by barrels of guns. I didn't change back to my old self yet. One of the soldiers, I assume he's one of the trainers here, shouts to me: "State your name and your business!"

I say nothing. He shouts again: "I won't repeat again! Who are you? And why are you…" He walks closer to me with his gun pointing to my face. And his gun, is an old type rifle. I instantly grab it, and lift him and swing him down to behind me. With the moment of surprise and pain, he can only groan, as I pull his gun out and point it to his face. The others look surprised, but then get closer to make sure their shots won't miss. I send them a glare that makes them cower a bit, but not lowering their guns. I look back to the trainer: "Next time, don't ever do that again. Pointing a gun to your ally…what would happen if you accidentally pull the trigger? It won't end well, isn't it? Now, if I accidentally pull the trigger…"

"Stop, Kuro. You're scaring the new guys." I don't even need to turn my head to know it's Agnes. I sigh, and pull the gun out of the guy's face, and give it to Agnes, who's already standing next to me.

"I assume not many people know about us yet…"

Agnes: "If they know, they wouldn't have pointed their weapons at you." She probably gave out a 'weapons down' hand signal, that the soldiers have put their guns down, rather reluctantly. "Now, may I ask why you're here, and pretty much interrupted everyone's training for your sudden appearance?"

"Need to talk with the Queen about bringing my elf friends here." That causes a lot of them to gasp in surprise.

Agnes: "You mean the alliance party?"

"Yeah. They're needed for that."

Agnes: "The leaders of Albion, Tristain, Germania and Romalia are here, so it's not a problem to them. About Gallia however…"

"Marietta is my friend. I will help her taking back Gallia from Joseph."

"Madam Marietta from Gallia?" "You heard of her before?" "The Queen and Princess Henrietta talked about her and Madam Karin a lot." "That makes sense. Anyway, can you lead me to both of them? I need to talk with them." "Of course, follow me." I follow her steps, feeling the glares to me. Because of what, you would know, wouldn't you?

Anyway, I meet the two, and the duo from Romalia as well. I explain my plans and my request to bring my friends to the party. And… well…

The Pope is having doubt: "That will surely raise fear among people. Do you think that far?"

"I'm aware of that. However, if both of them aren't going to hurt us, then the people might lessen their fear."

The Queen: "It's not going to be that easy."

"I never said it's easy. But, will you let me do it, or not?"

Henrietta: "I see no reason to stop you. Trying to convince the other Nobles is a different story, Kuro."

"When that time comes, we'll deal with it. So, I have all of your agreement?" They all nod. "Thank you. That's all I want to ask. See you in the party."

But when I was about to teleport away, Agnes asks me: "I saw you a bit tense when you landed into the training ground. Did you get some problems before getting here? Other than what you have asked us?"

"That…you will know…" My voice turns a bit deep in that. Then I go away…

* * *

A few days later…

Saito looks around us, in an uneasy expression. "Do you think…letting Tiffania and Sasha walk with us WITHOUT hiding their ears is a good idea?"

I shrug. "They will know, eventually. If not now, it'll be in the party."

Charlotte: "But…people are looking at us…"

"Human, Charlotte. Human." Simple.

Yeah, we decide to take the main entrance and walk to the Palace, on foot. The group consists of me, Charlotte, Saito and Louise, Kirche and Plutia (Reason? Not letting her wrecking the whole Academy without me supervising her), Sasha, Tiffania and Malthida. One whole group of Nobles and Noble-look-a-likes walking on the road of the Capital, which has a couple of Elves. Yeah, a strange sight in a normal day in Tristania. Well, not really normal. Today is the day four and a half (Charlotte and Aqua are only Nobles, not the leaders of current Gallia) of all human nations will make an alliance to unite the Halkeginia, and in the future, befriend with the Elves humanity have been fighting for 6000 years. And Neptune is probably somewhere else. She's an adventurer, she will join us later.

Yeah…We're going to get attacked by Brimir's lunatic followers in the future for sure.

Charlotte pulls my sleeve to get my attention. "Is my mother going to join the party?"

"Yes, of course. If not, the party loses its purpose, you know." She nods at my answer. Then… "Do you think people will oppose it?"

"I'm sure there are people doing so. But, we should convince the most of the society."

The guards are looking at us with caution. The only reason they're not pointing their weapons at us is probably because The Queen ordered them not to do so. During the walk, I also sense a lot of Gallia assassins walking on top of the rooftops without anyone noticing. 'Dark Templar, knock them out. We will interrogate them after the party.' I hear a confirmation from at least five of them, as I feel them teleporting around. I pull Charlotte closer, in attempt for an easier protection for her.

She clearly understands why I'm doing that. 'The assassins?' 'Yes. I have sent my units to intercept them.' 'That's good. Anything that could interrupt the party will be a bad sign.' 'They won't be a problem, as long as I'm here.'

We reach the Palace's entrance, and I see numerous Nobles walking into the place. Many of them give us a look of surprise and afraid. Even the lines from the Queen didn't ease them, huh?

We decide not to pay them too much attentions, as we walk direction to where the party's being held. In there, the two elves are marveled at how luxurious the place is. Plutia is actually awake, and looks surprised too, but, well, it's Plutia and there's no other explanation. And, on the far side, where it's supposed to be the place the High Leaders will sit, the people whom I'm expected to be there are there. Even the Elite Hunters.

"Hey, Saito…" He turns to me. "Can you look after them for a while, I will talk to them a bit." I point to the far side. He sees who they are and nods, and I walk to them.

Ifrit is the first one to notice me, and instantly he pulls me into the group: "Hey, Kuro! Long time no see. How are you doing?"

"Good enough. Have you talked much to the others?"

"Of course! And you're lucky you have Aqua's girl as your girlfriend. Seriously, what kind of charm did you have?"

I blush and scratch my head: "Oh, now, you're way more handsome than me."

"And yet you're in middle of the girls' attention." Aqua decides to jump into the conversation. "You better not make my girl upset, or I will make sure we'll have tons of punishment for you."

I gulp when I feel the death aura coming from her. "Yes…Madam…Of course I won't do that to Charlotte."

She turns back to normal. "Good boy."

Wanda: "Now, now, Aqua. We're here to have a bit of fun. Don't scare little Kuro off like that."

Aqua smiles back to her: "Sometimes, seeing Kuro like that is fun, you know?"

Wanda suddenly has a glint in her eyes. "Of course." Oh no, please, why?

Terry gives me a glass of wine. "Well, this should ease the pain you're having."

I grab it, but give him a glare. He just laughs at my misfortune when it comes to girls. Then, the Queen starts her speech and we pay all our attentions to her. And nope, I'm not writing this, sorry. Basically, she's saying the nations will have an alliance with each other, no war will be occurred again. Of course, many Nobles cheered for it, the others just stay passively. Then, one of the Nobles pointed out why Sasha and Tiffania could join the party without problems, and that they should… I was tempting to punch the guy right there, but I held back, because it would ruin my plan. Henrietta then invited them to stand with her, and explained to the Nobles what I have told her and the High Leaders about what happened when Brimir's killed. After the reveal, and the confirmation of the Pope…things won't turn to normal again. I had to step in and took the actions that, I and the Pope would make sure many of Brimir's teaches won't go to waste, since most of them were meant to help human as a part of Brimir wanted them to be. That eased the fear a bit. Then, we made another cheer for the purpose of the party, and then we just did whatever we would do in one. And in the end…

"Mister Kuro, stand forward, please." The Queen calls me out, and I walk to her right, where she's gesturing me to stand. She turns to the Nobles. "Even though he's not here very long, this person has helped us and gained us what we have today. He has shown us why we should stay together, instead of fighting each other just to keep our 'culture' intact. And, he has shown his fairness and forgiveness unlike any others, by even forgiving his enemies and guiding them to a better path for their life." She raises her glass up. "A cheer to the man, for what he has done for us." Everyone follows her, including me, and gulps down their own glass. But, after that, a Noble, who clearly looks a bit of uncertain, asks Marianne: "Your Highness, may I ask, is he a Noble? Because, I have never seen him around for the past year at most, and his attire is not fit for one. And isn't he a bit too young for you to address him like someone so important?"

I look at her, and she nods. I step forward and… "For your answer, you could consider me as one or not, it's not very important. I did what I did to help people. I don't care how people view me as. About why I'm so young…" I chuckle. "It will be absurd, but I'm already over sixty years old." That earns gasps from people who don't know me. "My body has stopped aging after I reached my twenty. That's why I'm looking like this."

Another Noble asks: "Then what are you?"

I smile: "I suppose you have heard about the rumors about the White Dragon in La Rochelle?"

* * *

Time skip, James' guest room

"My sincere apology for what I have done years ago, miss Tiffania."

"It's okay, sir James. I don't blame you for what you have done in the past."

After the party, I bring Tiffania and James here to keep privacy of this matter. I let both of them talking about the past, and luckily for us, she's a forgiving person like me, so everything goes smoothly.

"But, I'm the one who gave the order…"

Tiffania grabs James' face gently, and looks into his eyes. "During the past few days, I have learnt about Kuro's habit of forgiving everyone, even his enemies. Even when they're nearly irredeemable. Thanks to him, I also know that you were just acting in fear for your country and not for some…devilish reasons. I forgive you, so please, don't feel bad anymore about the past." She says it with full certainty. James is a bit petrified by how forgiving she is, and how right I was probably. He then smiles back to her. "I'm sorry for the past. I will make it up for you from now on. Believe in me." "Yes, I will."

You're hoping the long segments of them telling stories to each other? Well, they did, but I asked Creator not to write so since, how to say it, ah yeah, it's a bit cliché. Oh something in the same line.

Malthida leans to me to whisper: "SO…things are not going south, right?"

"I just want James to apologize to her, that's all. No hidden motives."

"What next? Gallia, or the elves first?"

I fake-yawn. "Just relax. Maybe I will deal with them in the next week."

"Next week?"

"Hey, you are human, remember? I can't push you all to the point of exhaustion. I can stand working endlessly, but you're not."

"I guess so… What do you think Creator will write next?"

"I don't know, really…"

* * *

Two weeks later…

"You have got to be kidding me…" Currently, I'm looking at the scripts that Creator sent me, about his plans for the future. And I'm not okay with it.

Charlotte looks over my shoulder: "What is it, Kuro?"

I point to a place on the paper: "This part…" She reads the first words and giggles: " **Another landing strategy**?" "I don't think so, read more…" She reads the whole sentence… "Now that's extreme." "I know…"

Saito: "You get yourself into problems frequently, don't you?" "Just part of my life."

Right now, we're inside of my house, enjoying our breakfast. Plutia is still sleeping on the sofa, AFTER she just woke up like 3 minutes ago. Today is a rest day, and yet…Creator sent me this…

Charlotte: "Anyway, what's the plan for today?"

I check the paper again… "Actually, there's none."

"Huh?" Both of them say at the same time. I give them the paper. "I'm not joking. There's nothing indicating his plans today. Maybe we have to make one for our own."

Saito nods. "Seems so. Let's go out after we finish our meal, okay?" I and Charlotte nod at that and start eating the rest of ours.

After that, I open the door, but…something's blocking the door. I try to push it harder, but it doesn't budge. I call Saito to help me push it, but the same result.

"What the bloody hell's blocking it?" I grunt and teleport myself into the parallel dimension to open it. When I walk out and right in front of the door, I try to teleport back, but no good. "Is that thing that big for me to not teleport back safely?" I step a few steps away, and feel that I could go back now. I do that…

And I was greeted by a blue dragon. It's snoring right in front of the door, with its body blocking it. I…did NOT recall finding her in the past two weeks. I know she's just a little kid, but… What are you doing Creator?

Huh? What?

Wait, this is not your doing?

No? Why? Wait, is that Illococoo?

Yes. What did you do?

…

Creator?

She is Sylphid?

What did you do?

I saw her being hunted down, so I just teleported her last night.

And you said it's not your doing?

…Guilty as charged.

Damn it.

"You have a big dragon with you, Kuro. What's this about?" I turn back to see Guiche and Montmorency. The boys have come back a few days ago, and Guiche has gained more love from his girl.

I point my finger to the sky. "Him happened." Guiche understands that, but not Mon-mon. "Anyway, do you know how to wake up a dragon?"

Guiche looks at Sylphid, then rubs her head, which causes her to purr. "Not so sure. Why is it…"

"She." "Huh?" "She's a girl, a Rhyme Dragon." "Really?"

"Hey, Kuro! What's that outside of the house?" Saito's voice from the house.

"Wait just a second!" I shout back to him. Wait a second… "Isn't she too big for the way?" I remember that she's way too big for any places in the Academy to live, so she has to be in the forest nearby.

Hey, you're Kuro.

That's my logic, not hers.

"I should take her out first. Guiche, Montmorency, can you tell Saito and Charlotte to go to the schoolyard? I will take her…" I point to Sylphid. "There." They nod, and I teleport myself and Sylphid to the yard.

The transition wakes her up, as she looks at me with her big green eyes. I just smile at her and rub her chin, making her purr even more. Then, I just call out a salmon, making her open her eyes bigger with excitement. I give it to her, and she just bites the whole fish and swallows down. She then lets out a growl of satisfaction and then rubs her head against my face. I chuckle and pat her head, which makes her flap her wings and wag her tail in delight.

A few moments later, the four of them, and Louise walk to me. They're marveled at how big Sylphid is. Charlotte then walks to me and asks: "May I ask where you got her?"

"I don't know. Ask Creator. Anyway, try to pat her, she'll like you." She looks at Sylphid, and starts doing the same thing I did. What would happen, happens exactly how you think and know in the anime. "Also, she?" "Yeah, her name is Illococoo." The mentioned girl looks at me in surprise that I know her name. "Yes, I know your name, and I know you have a human form…"

Louise: "You're giving her a body as well?" "No. She already has one, unlike Death." I turn back to the dragon. "How about you turn into your another form and talk to us? It'll be easier." She looks at me, doubting a bit, then…

 _Stop her, Kuro! Why are you asking her to do so?_

What? Is there a problem?

 _You forgot when Death appeared the first time in Lagdorian Lake?_

In the… Oh for god sake!

Before the light dies down, I instantly pull out my coat and cover her body. As we feared, she's indeed naked like when she met Saito the first time in the anime. That makes all the girls widen their eyes, as Mon-mon covers Guiche's eyes with her hands.

Saito whistles: "Damn. The girl looks like Charlotte. Do you think she's her sister?"

I shrug. "Why not? Anyway Illo…seriously, it's a mouthful. Illococoo, can you introduce yourself?"

"Hai-hai!" She raises her right arm up, nearly pulling the coat out of her body. "I'm Illococoo! I'm a Rhyme Dragon, as you can see! Though…" She turns to me. "How did you know that I have a human form?"

"That's Kuro for you." Everyone chants instantly, causing Illococoo to fling a bit in surprise.

"Yeah, like they said. Now, we should head to my room, and try to see if we have anything that fits her. We can't let her walk around like this…" Everyone nods. Except Charlotte who starts playing with Sylphid's hair. And then she glares at me: "Why do you have **female clothes** in your house?"

"You forgot the Goddesses occasionally came to my house, right? I just gave them a room to do whatever they want, and they turned it into a dressing room."

"Why would they need one when they have their personal hammerspace?"

… I'm dead, right? _Yep._ Yep.

* * *

Saito's POV

"It's going to take a while, Illococoo. Please wait for a moment."

"Big Sis is scary." Yeah, you didn't read it wrong. The girl, Illococoo, already calls Charlotte 'older sister', even though she's way bigger than her, more than one way. Anyway, after Kuro screwed up his explanation, his mistress called out her staff and blasted all kind of ice spells to him, making him run away in panic. And she's chasing him as well.

"Do you think Kuro might have done something with the Goddesses in the past?" Louise asks me curiously, no hint of embarrassment or anger in her voice.

"You sure are calm when you talk about it."

"Knowing Kuro now, things like that are not a surprise anymore."

"In my opinion honestly, no. He maybe a prevent in period, but he wouldn't dare to do anything without their consent. Also, he even restrained himself, so there's no way it happened."

Guiche, after Montmorency puts away her hands, asks: "Then, about those clothes…"

"I think he has them in his clothes the whole time. He just puts them in separate dimensions to bring them out easier. Also, I'm sure they would play like, the whole day in his house with no problems, so he might have to prepare a lot for them."

Guiche crosses his arms. "And I thought he liked to wear them…"

"Eh, maybe…" All of them looks at me. "His personalities are not…well, how to say it, stable, after 7 years in the old world."

Illococoo obviously doesn't know what I'm talking about, as she has a gigantic question mark above her head. "What do you mean by old world?"

I wave my hand. "I won't tell it, it's Kuro's story. Now, let us go back and find you some clothes. Maybe some of his personal maids might help us with that."

"CHARLOTTE, PLEASE STOP!" "NOT UNTIL I GET A PROPER ANSWER FROM YOU! ETERNAL NIGHT!" "GAH!"

Yeah, he's not going to help us any sooner.

* * *

After returning to his house, we saw that Plutia was just waking up, so we asked her if she knows anything about a wardrobe with women's clothes. She then led us to his room and casually pulled out one that fits Illococoo. Of course, I and Guiche were kicked out before she wore them. After she's done, we walked back in, and I looked to the wardrobe, only to see a generic man's wardrobe. I asked Plutia where she got the clothes, and she just pulled out another one, her swimsuit. I decided to see if I could pull out one of my shirts from here, and guess what, I could.

"What kind of system did Kuro put into this one wardrobe?"

Plutia: "Kury just told us to pull whatever we wanted from his wardrobe. How we got it, we didn't know." Notice she's still speaking in her slow voice.

"So, another Kuro's logic heh? Should have expected that."

"Then you should just tell me from the beginning, instead of not speaking directly." We turn to the door to see Charlotte and Kuro, or rather Shanghai with a white towel covering the whole body, only her face is revealed. The towel is a bit wet, though, it seems he got hit by a Water spell, or Ice being melt. And she's shaking a bit.

Illococoo, obviously doesn't know about Kuro, grabs Shanghai and starts moving her around while examining her. "Woah! What is this creature? Why is it so small? It's so adorable!" Shanghai's face shows no discomfort though. Kuro probably got used to that after being played with Plutia. No quotation, since I know it would be the truth.

Charlotte lets her 'little sister' 'play' with her boyfriend for a while, then decides to pulls her sleeve to get her attention. "I know you're curious about him, but can you give me back my boyfriend?"

Illococoo looks at her confused. "Boyfriend?" Oh and, we have talked about Kuro and Charlotte's relationship. "I thought your boyfriend is the person in black?"

"That's because I am." Kuro uses his own voice to speak, causing her to release the doll in surprise. Shanghai just floats there, and then sneezes in her voice. Illococoo then backs away from Kuro. "What…what is it?"

Charlotte pats her head. "Don't worry, it's just him being himself. Don't be scared." Illococoo still shakes because of Kuro.

"Kuro, you might want to turn back, you're scaring the girl."

Shanghai just pouts. "I don't want to wet my room, okay?" Wet the room?

Guiche snickers: "Don't tell me you wet yourself just because you're scared of Charlotte?"

She shakes her head. "It's not that. Her Ice spell casted on me, it melted away and soaked into my clothes. It feels sticky, okay?" The towel now makes sense.

Louise deadpans: "You can dry yourself." Yeah, that's not how Kuro works.

Surprisingly, after we returned back to the main room, he just turned back to his normal self, dry from top to toe. Either he took Louise's advice literally, or he just stops messing around.

"Haiiiii…." He lays his head on the table, looks a bit sleepy. Yeah, the former it is. Also Plutia's on his back as well, same situation.

Charlotte, luckily, is not in the mess. "So Illococoo, or Sylphid as I gave her the name, was supposed to be my familiar?"

"Yes, she was. The Creator intercepted with the summon, as you have known already." T.O appears to give us exposition about the mentioned girl. Illococoo is marveled by surprise after surprise, that she's having literal sparkles in her eyes every time she's looking at anything unfamiliar to her.

Guiche pulls out the handle of the Z-Saber. "And about this…is there any more elements within it? I found out there are 3, not counting the normal one."

T.O: "It's pretty much it. However, it's modified so that magic users can make the elements more powerful, unlike with science with limited power. Even thought, in the right hand, the power is devastating."

Louise: "Charlotte told us the Creator gave Kuro the scripts about the future, but only the far ones when he and Saito return back to Gamindustri. He didn't give him a plan for the few weeks."

T.O: "It's because it's nearly their time to return."

Louise: "It is?" She sounds a bit sad as her head hangs down. Yeah, she's really having good times with us, but the time's going to end.

T.O: "I didn't mean they'll be gone forever though." Louise turns her head up. "They return, but you can visit them from now on. They're just more comfortable with their family. Kuro planned to open portals for you to come to Gamindustri whenever you want. So don't need to be sad." Louise's face shines up a bit after hearing the good news.

Charlotte smiles as well. Yeah, she should be. Then, she asks: "What should we do now in the time being?"

T.O: "For one week, you have some times to do your study again. But, I want you to get to the land of the elves, and rebuild the bridge of relationship between human and elves. With that done, **everything will be over.** "

* * *

 **Chapter 13 end!**

 **Sorry about this. Finishing at night, and then start driving to school at 6 a.m in about half an hour is not going to be easy. At least to me.**

 **Yeah, I need someone to look after Charlotte when Kuro returns. Why not Louise? She has her family, and a lot of support from her Royal friends. Charlotte currently only has her mother.**

 **I never saw James in the other stories, so I decided to give him a good personality, he just made wrong choices in the past.**

 **So, nothing else to say...Oh, right. If you want your ideas to be in the story, just put it in the review, or P.M if you feel it more comfortable.**

 **See you all in the next chapters!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I only claim my OCs and my stories. Nothing else is mine, and this is a work of fiction with nothing to gain.**

 **Over a week...Sorry about the wait. Looks like things are really getting out of my hands. And no, I'm not abandoning my stories. Never. I just need a bit of time to make sure no story mistakes could be there. Grammar mistakes though, can't really promise you that since I'm not English native, but I will try my best.**

 **To RedBurningDragon: Sorry for the premature assumption. But yeah, that really fits the situation.**

 **The reason why Illococoo is there is in the last chapter, if you missed it.**

 **Without further ado, enjoy chapter 14 everyone!**

* * *

Kuro's POV

"Zzz…"

"Zzz…"

"Hey! Wake up! Agnes's looking for you!"

"Huh?" I slowly open my eyes to see Saito standing next to the table. I start sitting up, but not before letting Plutia slide out of my back to the sofa we're sitting. She's oblivious to what's happening now. I ask Saito while rubbing my eyes: "Did she say why she needs me?"

"She seems to be a bit on edge. Don't know why though." I nod and look around the room. Aside from me, Plutia and Saito, there's no one else.

"Where's everyone?"

"You and Plutia slept like logs, you know? It's already afternoon, and everyone's doing their studies. Or like the boys, spending their times training with each other."

"She's just too warm, okay? And I was frozen right before that."

"How did you get hit by one anyway?"

I point up. "Him." Then I stand up. "Can you lead me to her?" Saito nods and we walk out of my house…

And meet face-to-face with Julio. I sigh. "I don't want to be rude but…why are you here?"

He smiles genuinely: "Don't be so unfriendly like that. I heard from Agnes that she wants to go to the secret vault inside the Academy, and that she needs you to go with her, so I figure I should come to you first." Then he notices Saito. "But it seems like I'm the second one here."

Saito: "Seems so. You want to join us?" He nods. "You agree, Kuro?" "I see no reason to deny him." "Okay, let's meet Agnes…Wait, does any of you know where the vault is? Do you, Kuro?" "Honestly? No."

After we meet up with Agnes, she leads us to the Headmaster's office to ask permission to go in. And the result? DENIED!

Agnes shouts to him: "What do you mean by not letting us go in? I have the permission to open it from the Queen herself!"

Old Osmond: "I'm sorry. Even with her agreement, I wouldn't open the vault. It's too dangerous down there."

Agnes pulls me closer to her. "That's why I'm bringing him with me. He can withstand everything, right?"

I sweatdrop because of the reason. But, I understand why she's thinking like that. Even though… "I don't mind being a human shield, doesn't mean I like to be one."

Agnes turns to me: "I didn't mean you to be one. I just want you to use your power to…"

"That's basically the concept of a human shield. Anyway, why do you want to go there that bad?"

She didn't say it immediately. Then… "It's the grudges from the past."

The others look surprised at the review. Me, however… "Then why bother going down there anyway?"

Agnes looks at him with realization, and fury. "You know about it, don't you?"

"Nope. Not in details, at least."

Old Osmond also knows what I'm implying, but he doesn't say anything.

Agnes: "Then, who can you give me the details?"

I fake-yawn again. "Try to find out. I'm taking catnip now." I pull out some and eat, then turn into a black cat and jump on Malthida's table, and start sleeping. Before that, I feel Chuchu walking to me and then laying in my left. I put my front paw on its back, and both of us just drip into the dream world.

* * *

Saito's POV

Uh…what just happened?

Malthida: "Just him screwing around." Yeah, she's in the room, too. "Agnes, if Kuro said you're not needed to go down there, then you're not. Try finding the information from somewhere else. And don't force opening the vault and going down, it's dangerous for a reason."

Agnes shouts: "I'm a Knight. Danger is a part of my job."

Malthida: "But it's not a good cause for your own death. I learnt it from the hard way." Everything falls into silence. I and Malthida have experienced death, so I know what she's talking about.

Also, that sends chill to Agnes as she backs off a bit.

Old Osmond coughs to get our attentions back. "It's true that it's dangerous down there to go. However, if you really want to do it, then I will call Professor Colbert and tell him, along with miss Malthida here, to assist you in going there."

Malthida blinks. "I thought you didn't agree earlier?"

Old Osmond: "Let's just say…Kuro found a way to convince me." That's not a proper answer, old man. Agnes only cares that she's able to get to the vault now, as she pulls me and Julio out of the room, only to stop to wait for Malthida and Kuro after about three steps away from the door. And when she walks out, I see Kuro in her arms, still sleeping. Either he's faking it, or…nah, there's no other explanations.

When we headed to Professor Colbert's laboratory, we met Sasha holding tubes of liquid walking to the same direction. After hearing our story, Sasha decided to go with us as well, but after helping Colbert putting things in his lab to their places. Colbert sounded a bit hesitate when he heard that Old Osmond allowed us to go to the vault, but then he led us to there after he saw the black cat with us (He probably knew that's Kuro).

We reached the entrance of the vault, or I assumed so, since we're in the freaking women bathroom! Who the hell had the bright idea to put the goddamn enter here? Colbert led us to a room in the end, opened the door. We looked in, only to see items laying around without any particular orders. I would have assumed it was the wrong way, only to throw that thought away when Colbert pushed the wall, revealing that it's actually a hidden door. Julio then lightened a lamp, as we headed down the dark and cold stairs.

During the walk, Sasha asks Colbert: "The vault has been here for quite a while. How many have come down here?"

"A lot, but most likely only the Nobles and Brimir's believers were allowed to go down here. After generations, the entrance was hidden like you saw, and the vault was sealed with multiple protection spells so no one that had no business could come down."

Julio: "Then, it would be a lot of secrets that would expose everyone in Halkeginia."

Colbert says, a bit hollowly: "Yes…a lot…" What happened to him? He was just fine before we told him about Agnes' desire. It's like, he's trying to sue us away from here.

Agnes didn't notice Colbert's expression and tone as her focus is all about the vault. "Anything down here could be priceless, and it could make any Nobles lose their reputation."

Julio: "Seems likely, if this vault is so well hidden. Could it have all the details about Brimir's death?"

Sasha: "Unlikely. If they found out it's his own Familiar killing him, then pets would be killed the moment the lunatics saw one."

"Yeah, that would be the case." We're now facing a massive door. Upon looking over the door, and my experiences with games, I can see three star patterns placing in a column in where it would be a lock. A magic lock, huh? Sasha looks at them, then chanting a small spell, causing all three of them to open one-by-one.

Colbert asks her: "Brimir taught you how to use magic?"

Sasha shakes her head. "No. Us Elves always have magic. We just don't have main affinities like you all. We use magic that comes from the natural environment. If not, we would use our own power to chant the spell." Colbert nods at her explanations, as the others as well. Agnes is about to push the door to go in, when Colbert grabs her hand.

Colbert: "Miss, it's dangerous to go in there alone. We will come with you."

Agnes, suddenly looks irritated, pulls her hand back away from the Professor. "I don't need your help." Kuro might know something, but he's still sleeping now… "Thanks for coming here with me to this point. But now, I'm going in alone."

"Don't be ridiculous." She turns to Julio. "We have gone this far, our goal is only behind this door. We wouldn't waste our opportunity like that, would we?"

Malthida: "Also, there could be many traps inside, that people without magic can't get through. There's a high chance that, even if you go in with no problems, you can't get out. We're with you so that won't happen."

Agnes looks around to see our faces, knowing that she cannot argue with us. "Thanks for your help."

After we walked through the door, we're greeted by a dark corridor. With a structure like this, I would say we're inside an Egypt building that's built thousands of years ago.

"This… after though years, this vault is still intact. Very impressive."

Julio: "A vault that holds valuable resources like this, we would want to keep it forever. Pretty sure magic's infused even in the wall."

Sasha: "I don't think so. That would require too much magic. Either there is something that generates magic, or…"

"The structure itself is that good. There are multiple cases like that on Earth, where the whole records of old civilization were still there for us to discover. No magic required."

Colbert: "How old is your world's history?"

"About…near ten thousand years ago. Though, humans have been recorded to exist long before that…"

Agnes: "Quiet, everyone." I tense a bit. "Someone is behind us." We all now turn back to see into the darkness. Indeed, when we stop speaking, there are sounds of footsteps coming near us. Agnes and Julio grab their weapons, ready to pull them out at anytime. Then… When I squeeze my eyes, I see two figures, two small figures…oh, just them…

"So this is the secret vault that my eldest sister has told me about? You should call us down with you as well." The voice of Louise echoes through the empty corridor.

Agnes is the surprise one here. "Miss Valliere? Why are you going down here?"

"Kuro gave us a note…" Charlotte answers. "Saying that you're heading down here, and told us to come down if we wanted to. So, here we are." We now look at the culprit, and he just uses his foreleg to scratch his ear, and then goes back to 'sleep'.

Colbert sighs: "If Kuro told you that…we can't really do anything about it, can we?"

When our mistresses walk closer to us, I notice that Charlotte has a small bag with her. Normally she has one book on her hand, now a bag? "What's that bag for, Charlotte?"

Charlotte flinches a bit. "It's nothing." What's she hiding?

Louise coughs: "That aside, didn't we have something to find here?" We stand there momentarily to swallow that, then continue our travel.

Colbert suddenly remembers: "I have never asked this but, whose grudges you're holding against, Agnes?"

Agnes doesn't answer that. Julio pushes the question: "Is it something in your past, or some of the enemies that oppose your Highness?"

Agnes: "The Royalists have nothing in this. It's about my own enemies."

"The extermination 20 years ago, right?" She turns to see Kuro, who has turned back into his human form. "You know everything, and yet you let us go down here?" "Hey, this place needs some visitors anyway. About your past, I don't think I'm the suitable person to talk. You should be one sharing it with us."

Agnes turns back to where she's heading: "Why should I? That's not your concern."

Kuro: "Then how can we help you with your problems? We're in this case together, aren't we?"

That drops us in another silence. Louise's already walking side-by-side with me, and Charlotte with Kuro. Though he's wrapping his arm around her shoulder. I wouldn't do so with Louise, mind you, I don't really have a feeling for a relationship with her.

Charlotte speaks up: "You should do so. Kuro would do it if you don't, though. He did that to me before."

Agnes doesn't say anything.

Kuro: "You don't want to talk about it? Okay. How about the other things? Like, your love life for example?" Nothing. "How about I tell our friends here about your feelings towards…" He's cut short instantly, by Agnes pulling her sword and pointing it right to his throat. "Don't…you…dare…" "Hey! You didn't tell us anything, so I have to say some, okay?" Obviously Kuro's playing with Agnes now, as he's having Cheshire's smiley face. Agnes has a tint of pink on her cheek, her lips are biting in embarrassment.

Charlotte's probably got rubbed off by his personality, as she asks Agnes: "You have someone for your life?"

Agnes denies, constantly: "I do not! Don't you dare listen on what he said!"

"Then why does you sometimes look at that person with the eyes of a…" And he earns the sword going through his throat. Agnes lets go of the sword and walks away without a care.

Kuro doesn't say anything, probably mimicking that a person can't speak with a sword in his throat. Malthida just shakes her head and pulls the sword out. "You just had to trigger her like that."

Kuro smiles. "I did."

* * *

We then reach a narrow bridge. One by one, we walk in a line so we wouldn't fall down by accidents. Except Kuro who's tip-toping on a line of glyphs near us. Note that the glyphs are small, kind of just fit a hand palm, and they're a step away from each other.

"So…" Kuro speaks up. "You want to tell us your story or not, Agnes?"

Agnes: "You're not going to drop it anytime sooner, are you?" "Yep." She sighs. "20 years ago, my village was accused of harboring the rebels, and then, a group of Fire mages was ordered to destroy it. But, it's just the bastard Richemont planning everything up. Because of this 'rebel extermination', he gained a high position in the Noble society. And the price? My home, my family, my friends…" She continues after a sigh. "The one who saved me, I don't know where he is now. The only thing I remembered is the scar on his neck." Colbert grabs his neck unconsciously, but Agnes didn't see it. Is he… "I want to find and thank him, but…there's nothing I could do that time when I fell into darkness, and when I woke up, I was already in the hand of the Queen. From that time, I learnt to serve her, and dedicated my life to her and her daughter, the Princess." Oh, don't tell me…

Kuro: "A crush to your savior in young age? I'm proud of you."

Agnes…actually doesn't react to that. Not even flinch. "You sure like to run your mouth, Kuro."

Kuro: "I just don't like seeing everyone being grumpy and such." Then, I hear Charlotte and Louise whispering something, but I decide not to ask them. Their secrets, in their minds.

Malthida then asks: "Then, what happened to Richemont now?"

Agnes: "After the Queen found out, she ordered Wardes to go after and took him before her to be judged."

Louise asks in surprise: "Sir Wardes?"

Agnes: "He's tasked to deal special missions now. We have made a full-face mask for him that would cover his identity. He really wants to redeem his deeds before."

Louise sighs in delight. "Thanks Brimir."

Then, we reach the gate, which is written in Halkeginian for sure if Agnes can speak it out loud. "Editing the documents, destroying them or removing them, as well as the use of magic around the vicinity is prohibited. Anyone who disobeys the rule will be cursed to death."

Kuro looked deadpan when he heard that. I ask him: "Something's the matter?"

"The Creator just checked about it. Okay, listen up, we need to follow the rules here. If not, the whole building will collapse on us, you understand?" All of us nods at his order. He then opens the door and we look inside to see the decorations of a library. We then walk in and start searching for any details that's good for us.

"Hmm, let's see… Founder this, Founder that…seriously, how obsessed are you when it comes to him?"

Julio: "Probably because he has done a lot of things to us. But now, we aren't sure if his words are true or not."

Sasha checks a few more books before saying: "I would say they're still the truth, most of them. He just got his jealous take over when it comes to the elves."

Malthida: "Are you even in love with him? The history told that you have the first rulers of the nations as your children."

Sasha sighs: "Yes, but only before I found out the truth. I trusted the man, and yet, he betrayed me at the end."

Louise and Charlotte have gone to another shelf, and Kuro moves his hands across the books, not bother pulling out one to read. We're finding for a while before…

"You've got to be kidding." All eyes turn to Kuro as he pulls out a purple-covered book. He starts scanning through the pages, and the more he goes, the paler he is. Then, he calls Sasha: "Did you see Brimir read or write this book before?"

She takes a glance on the book. "Yes, I did. He said it's a spell book, but he can't cast any of them. I wonder why. I haven't read it though."

Kuro: "You're lucky both of you didn't know how to use this book. If not, not only the elves, but the human was also in danger."

He is dead serious now (no pun intended). Agnes: "What could a book make you so uptight like that?"

I see his left fingers twitching a bit. "I'm…so TEMPTED… to burn this book right here and now…But it would make the building bury us alive…"

Louise gets a little bit impatient. "Just tell us what book it is!"

"The Book of Shadow." That sends chill to me and Malthida. Everyone else hasn't heard about it yet, and it's for a good reason.

Charlotte tilts her head in curiosity. "Book of Shadow? What's it about?"

He then puts it in his coat pocket. "Not now. Everyone, I want you to find the most valuable information in here. Books, scrolls, papers, anything. Once we gather them in one place, I will put all of them into my hammerspace, and we run the hell out of this place."

Colbert sounds surprise and upset: "You want to trigger this vault's system? To destroy everything in here?"

Kuro: "We take what we can, and bury the rest. I cannot let this copy version lay around for a random person to pick it up. Now, move it!" He then starts picking up books and scrolls and puts it on the nearby table. We're dumbfounded by his actions, but then just follow his words.

Then, Agnes finds what she comes for. "This is it! The Incident of Angleterre!" We stop what we're doing and see her walking to the stair, sitting on it and starts reading the book. "Where…where… Here! In order to prevent the spread of a plague, people in Angleterre will all be burnt. What, plague? I thought we're accused of harboring rebels?"

"That's how Richemont fooled everyone. He tricked the mages to think about it, and they believed him." The voice of Kuro can be heard in the far side of the library.

Agnes starts reading more: "Okay, the Captain…"

Colbert suddenly asks: "What would you do if you find out who's the Captain?"

Agnes puts her hand on the page she's reading. "I have thought before, that I would kill everyone that's in this case. But now…" She looks in the dark hall, where Kuro probably is, considering there are sounds of footsteps there. Then she sighs. "I don't know if I should do that or not. Kuro is a dangerous person, T.O is a deity that sends fear to us with just a glance. But, both of them are forgiving to their enemies. And after knowing those mages were not at fault…" "EK!" Kuro's sound of surprise, followed by the sounds of books dropping. We decide to just ignore him. "I guess I will ask him first if he knew about this mission. If not, then maybe I will forgive him." She then continues her reading. "Now, the Captain, with the title…" She then fells silence. We wait for her next reactions…

"Colbert…" She begins. "How long are you going to hide from us?" She turns her head up to Colbert, her eyes show no clear emotions. Colbert sighs: "I really want to talk about it, but…I haven't found a good time to talk to you."

The Knight closes the book. "Now, I'm sure it's the good time to do so. We have quiet time for this, before Kuro makes this place collapse."

We now look at Colbert to wait for his answer.

…

Colbert: "Back to that time, I was ordered to exterminate your village because of the reasons everyone already knew. But, once we're doing our jobs, only I realized we got the false information. I tried to stop my comrades, but turned out they already knew about it, and they still did it anyway. After that I tried to save anyone, but they're already been killed. When the others left behind the dead bodies and went back with satisfaction of killing everyone…I found you, so I brought you out of that mess. When you're asleep, I gave them to Madam Karin, whom I could only trust at that point. And I heard after that, she gave you to the Queen for her to raise you. From that point, I left the army, and became a teacher until now, so I could teach the students about the horrible of wars and try to avoid them being a mindless soldier." He stops to catch a breath. "I don't deserve to be forgiven, but Agnes, please consider to find a way to get out of this madness. You can be Her Highness' Knight as long as you want, but don't throw your life away so meaningless. Try to find something to enjoy your life more than just what you're doing."

Is this all Kuro's plan? Because, it's too flawless. He said that we're not needed to go down here, and even gave out reasons to not doing so. And yet, we're down here, solving a misunderstanding in the past. And, he even managed to convince Agnes, not only words but through actions as well, for her to NOT kill Colbert right when he revealed the truth.

Agnes puts the book on the stair and stands up. Then…she walks to Colbert and hugs him, which catches him off guard in surprise.

Agnes: "I suppose I have to say my thank to you. Without you, I would probably meet my parents and friends in heaven or something. You gave me another chance to live. So…thank you, a lot."

We all turn silence to not ruin this emotional moment. Colbert can only smile sadly, but happily, as he wraps his arms around Agnes, letting her tears damp his coat, she's smiling in happiness.

Kuro also returns with tons of books in his arms, and he also doesn't make any sounds to not take the moment away.

After about a minute, the duo separate. Charlotte pulls out a handkerchief and gives it to Agnes, who gladly takes it and wipes out the tears on the face. During it, she notices Kuro has returned. "I see you have gathered enough things to take back."

Kuro: "From the deeper zone, yes. How about out here?"

Louise: "I think we got enough. Now, how are you going to trigger the protecting system without us getting killed?"

Kuro: "Gather everything in front of the door. When I put everything into my hammerspace, prepare an Explosion spell to fire to the door, if it closes. If not, we just start running, if my teleportation spell doesn't work."

Julio suddenly realizes how dumb we are. "If you have the teleportation spell, then why even bother this place collapses on us or not?"

Malthida notices something else. "Doesn't work, meaning HIM being involved?"

Kuro: "Yep. If he screws that at the right moment…I don't need to tell more, right?" And again, how dumb we are, part two.

When we have gathered books, scrolls and papers in one place, Kuro hovers his hand above them, as we prepare to run as fast as possible. And when everything disappears…

So do we. We're now inside of the library of the Academy, with students looking at us surprised and curiously.

"Uh…so, the spell works." I turn to Kuro. "Were you expecting this to happen?"

Kuro: "Honestly, only to the point I found the copy the version of the Book of Shadow. Before that point, yes, everything is according to my plan, even when I told Agnes not to go down."

Now that earns a look of disapproval from Colbert. "You pushed us to a dangerous place just for me to confess my sins to her? I thought you had a better plan for me."

Kuro just shrugs: "Sorry, out of ideas."

Then, Julio remembers about the copy. "Now, we're out of danger, tell us about the book you're so desperate to not leave it."

Kuro turns serious as he pulls out the purple book and…he burns the book instantly to ash. "One problem solved. The others…" On one table, everything we have gathered appears, making the students sitting at it jump back in surprise. "Now, to all of us, let's go back to my house, by walking please. I don't like having another teleportation WITHOUT a check from him."

We decide to comply, since he sounds a bit too tired. I don't think it's a physical fatigue, but a mental one. When we enter the house, Plutia is STILL sleeping on the sofa, while hugging Neptune's doll. Kuro just moves her a bit so he can have a small place to sit, as we pick the chairs around and gather around the table.

Once he has been comfortable in his place, he pulls out the real Book of Shadow. "The one I burnt before, was the copy version of this book. Now, luckily since it's a copy, no one can use anything from it. And luckily, Brimir wasn't pulled into a deadly dimension when he did all the spells wrong. It was too dangerous for anyone who's alive."

Agnes looks unconvinced. "If it's so dangerous, then how come there's no records about that book?"

Kuro: "Either Brimir thought it's a worthless book, or…no one really knew what this book was and just grabbed it alongside with Brimir's belongs."

"Why don't you show us the school?"

Julio turns to me: "What school are you talking about?"

Kuro: "You mean Heavenly Host?" I nod. "Don't you think they would freak out the first step they're in there?" "You did fix the school up, right?" "Doesn't mean I cleaned it to the point of returning it back to its glory days. It's the core of that world now."

Our talk gives everyone confusion. Colbert: "Can you at least give us the idea about that place?"

Kuro: "Maybe…all right. I will teleport us there." And another light occurs.

* * *

Charlotte's POV

When the light dies down, I'm sitting on the floor in some kind of classroom, with broken tables and chairs. The ceiling looks like it's going down in any seconds, and holes are seen on the floor. Then I hear a thunder sound, as I look out of the windows to see it's raining. I take my eyes out of it after a few seconds and just realize that: aside from Louise…there's no one else. And she's also clueless about this place.

"Louise, did you see anyone else?" "No. Only you." We stand up and are about to go to the door when we notice the blackboard. It's covered in child's drawings, but while half of them are okay, the others are covered in words that we cannot read. And that part of drawings…it gives us a chill spine.

"Is this…where Kuro died?"

"You heard his story?"

"Only a small part of it. He didn't tell me much, because 'it might traumatize you' as he said."

"I might see why…" Both of us shiver again when we look at the pictures.

"Let's…get out of here. It's giving me bad feelings." "Yes, let's go."

When we open the door, we see a broken hallway. Everything is falling apart, there's even a missing floor that when we look down, we only see an endless darkness.

"Char…Charlotte, did you see anything like this before?"

"No…even in the most dangerous missions, I haven't seen anything like this…" We're holding each other's hands to ease our fears. It's so creepy in so many ways.

Then, I notice on the edge of the pit, in the corner, there's a candle, along with a box of matches. I point it for Louise to see, then lighten the candle up. It doesn't shine very brightly, but at least we have light.

"Wait a second, we're mages, right?"

"Do either of us know how to use Fire or Light spells?"

"…Good point. Sorry."

We then turn back and walk inside further, looking for anyone. Then we see a stair and walk up on it, only during halfway, we hear something falling from the higher side of the stair. And when we reach the turn point…we see a body lying there, his hands are covering his bloody neck, as he looks up to something. Then, footsteps come nearer to him and…we see Kuro, in his right hand is the bloody scissors. His face is cold, showing no emotions whatsoever. The person tries to speak something in fear, but due to his throat being cut, no words come out. When Kuro steps in front of the body, we try to stay out of his eyesight by pushing ourselves to the left side of the stair. His focus is on the dying person, and then…he pulls out a lighter, turns it on, and throws it to him. We can only watch in silence as the person cries, cries in muted pain. It happens for a while, and the body turns to ash. Then, Kuro walks down and looks right at us. We yelp in fear, scared that this is not the Kuro we know. But then, he himself is being gulped in a blue flame, and then he disappears.

We stay there for like an eternity, but it's just a few seconds. It can't be…it can't be Kuro, right? He just killed a man, right in front of us, and he didn't flinch when he saw the man crying in pain…

"Who are you girls?" We yelp again and look to the lower path of the stair, to see a blue fireball floating there. I decide to pull out my staff and point to the blue flame, even though I'm not sure if I could do anything to it.

Louise also points her wand to it, and asks: "WHO… WHAT ARE YOU? Are you here to hurt us?" Her voice is shaking like her body.

"Hmm…you girls have no clues about this place, don't you?"

I answer: "We…we don't. We just got here, by Kuro. Do you see anyone with…" "Did you just say Kuro?" The flame interrupts me, and its voice defines a girl's. "How did you know him? You two look nothing like Vietnamese. You're from the West, aren't you?"

We look at it dumbfound. Despite being a fire, we can't really feel any heat from it. Then, Louise answers: "We're from another dimension, not from his original world. My name is Louise, and she is Charlotte. May I ask who are you?"

The fireball sways a bit. "I'm a victim of this place. You don't need to know more."

"Why are you like this?"

"I'm not alive long enough for this place to recognize my old appearance, so I'm stuck like this. It's not a bad thing actually."

We turn silence for a bit. The girl, we should call her like that instead of just fireball, asks: "Back to the matter, how did you meet Kuro? He has only interacted with the main girls here, and that's quite a time already."

Should I say it? I think I should. "I'm his girlfriend."

… "You're…his girlfriend?" I nod. The girl then giggles. "You must be very lucky to be his girl. Anyway, you're lost right?" We both nod. "Then, follow me, let me give you a little tour."

Louise is a bit suspicious. "Why didn't you lead us to him?"

"Near impossible. If he entered this place, he will be in a random place. We can't pinpoint where he is. He could be in another pocket dimension as we speak."

"Then, how can we find him?"

The girl: "Hate to say this, but we're not having any clues here. Maybe we can find the others to ask if they see him or not."

We nod again as we stand up and follow the girl as she floats up with us. But… "Uh, miss…" "Don't call me miss, that makes me old. Anyway, what do you want to ask?" "What was that from before, Kuro just killed someone here." "Oh, that's the event from the past. Sometimes we see them by chance, or Kuro wants someone to find out. Did you ask him about something, that he left you here?" "We wanted to know about this world, and…did you see another people coming here?" "Hmm…yes, there are a few more, but I'm not making any promises that we would run into them." "Then, why did it feel so real?" "That's how this place works. It would make you feel it happens right before you in that moment, but in fact it's a long time ago."

We start walking through many more rooms. Same scenes everywhere: broken windows, broken floors and walls. Louise asks in fear: "Is there anything else we could see here?"

The girl: "Uh, corpses of someone maybe?"

Both of us pale when we hear that. "CORPSES?"

The girl: "Yes, corpses. You're afraid of it?"

"You aren't?"

The girl: "Of course I am. But I'm used to it. Doesn't mean I want to look at one, though."

"How long have you died?"

The girl: "I…don't remember to be honest. Since Kuro fixed this place up, we don't really care much about time."

Louise: "Won't you feel…lonely? You're away from your family forever right?"

The girl: "Sometimes. I have a new family here now. Everyone here is my family."

"Kuro really has the most impacted in this place…"

The girl: "Sounds like he's popular in your place."

Louise: "He just ended a war with words and even turned our enemies into allies. With minimal casualties."

"And he's a God from another world than us."

The girl: "That one I heard from the teachers here. Is he really popular with the girls?" I blush when she talks about it. She notices it and giggles again. "Are you hiding something?" "Uh…"

Louise answers it for me: "He had two wives before he has her as his girlfriend." "OH! Quite charming isn't he? How did he handle you all in bed?" I blush even deeper.

Then, we see a light coming from the intersection. We come nearer, and see a teenage boy with glasses, holding a phone in front of him. The light comes from both sides of the phone.

"HEY MORISHIGE! We need your help!" The blue flame calls out to the boy, as he turns while waving the phone's light to us.

"Hello, you three. Why are you wandering around like that? It's not very safe here."

The girl explains to him: "They just got here recently. They're trying to find Kuro." The boy gives out a surprise look on his face. "And when is this place not dangerous?"

He chuckles: "Sorry, figure of speech. Anyway, what's their relationship with him?"

The girl: "His wife." That makes me blush.

"Hey, I'm not, okay?"

The girl: "Didn't you say earlier…"

"I'm just…his girlfriend, okay? I'm not engaged to him yet."

Louise asks Morishige: "Have you seen Kuro anywhere? We're trying to find him."

He shakes his head. "Sorry, but no. Maybe the others have. Let me get Mayu before…" "Don't walk so fast like that Sakutaro! I don't like getting behind!" He turns to his right, and then gets tackled by a girl roughly our age, with a purple marbles pin to clip her hair. And she's pouting. "Mo! You just focus on your phone and completely forget about me! You're so mean!"

The boy smiles and rubs her hair. "I'm sorry, Mayu. I'll be more careful."

The girl then smiles and turns to us. "You found some living survivors?" LIVING SURVIVORS?

The boy: "I don't think so. Kuro brought them here by himself, but then left them. Don't know why he's doing so. So yes, they're alive, but not quite of survivors."

"We asked him about the Book of Shadow and this school, so he brought us here."

Morishige doesn't show it on his face, but he's surprised. "How did you know about the Book of Shadow?"

"Kuro found a copy version of that book in our place. We asked why he's so scared about that, and he just teleported us here."

The duo looks at each other's eyes, probably choosing what to say to us. Then Mayu gestures us to follow them, and we comply. We walk in silence for a while, before I ask them: "How long have you been staying here?"

Mayu turns to us. "We lost tracks of time. But, most likely it's about 20 years."

Louise: "But Kuro's already 60 years old. How can it be just 20 years passed here?"

Morishige: "Time concept to us is different from him. Anyway, how's he doing? He most likely interacted with Sachiko and the kids, occasionally went around and talked with us."

"Probably he needed to take care of his family and his nations first."

The girl: "Yeah, that part we knew. We mean, is he okay or not?"

"He's still finding his citizens back…"

Morishige holds his free hand up. "Wait, someone's coming…"

* * *

Saito's POV

Okay, the first thing I see after being teleported: A broken hallway that leads to the bathrooms. Kuro, can't you pick anywhere better than here?

Julio is the only one that I notice who's with me, as he asks me: "Should I ask why we're here, and there are only two of us?"

"No idea. We should…" I stop and listen to the footsteps from our behind. Appears from the corner, a guy with red hoodie, a black beanie covering his blonde hair, black T-shirt and pants, walks to us with a camera on his hand. Looks like we're not alone. But, he's a bit transparent for some reasons…

I wave to him. "Excuse me, may I ask…" I speak in Japanese, since I heard from Kuro this school was actually in Japan. However, the guy pays no attention to me as he looks at his camera. "Hey sir, can you hear me?" He still walks directly to me. A bit frustrated, I grab his shoulder, only for his whole body to walk THROUGH me! What? Both of us look to him with surprise and fear. Is he a ghost?

Then, we hear a scream from the woman's closet, as the guy looks up and walks to it. We follow him, as he crouches at the doorframe and points the camera inside. Then, his face changes from curiosity to fear instantly. We walk to him, since we know we can't interact with him, and look inside the room…

And we nearly regret that decision. Inside one of the stands, a girl roughly Louise's age is hanging another girl up, while a zombie guy is watching them. I'm tempted to jump in and save the almost-hanged girl, but I don't really know how to deal with ghosts. I turn my head to Julio when I see Kuro, without his lab coat, crouching towards the camera guy.

"Hey, Kuro, we have a problem here. Can you…" But, like the first guy, Kuro doesn't react to my call, instead he grabs the shoulder of the camera guy. The guy jumps in surprise, as he turns back and nearly shouts if Kuro doesn't put a hand on his mouth and gestures him to be quite.

When the guy calms down a bit, Kuro puts his hand back, glances through the door way a bit, then turns to the camera guy. "English?" The camera guy nods. "Okay, Shougo, listen here. We're going to save the girl, and you're going to help me with it."

The guy, Shougo, widens his eyes: "Are you crazy? That girl is hanging her friend up."

Kuro: "She's possessed. Do you have holy water with you?"

Shougo pulls out a small bottle of water. "I do. But, how did you…"

Kuro: "No time to explain. Listen, I want you to put the girl being killed down, okay? I will deal with the possessed girl and the big guy. You understand?" Shougo nods in a bit of fear.

Julio is a bit on edge. "What are you waiting for, Kuro? Go in and save them!" Like before, both of them don't even turn to us as they look inside the closet.

I ask Julio: "Can you guest what happened here?"

Julio is not happy when Kuro straight up ignored him. "I know I have upset him many times, but it doesn't mean…"

"Julio…" I stop him. "I don't think he's Kuro we know. There should be some explanations after this…"

He takes a deep breath to calm himself down. "Sorry about that." Then, he asks me: "What do you think about this?"

I poke my chin. "I'm not sure. But, maybe it's something Kuro wanted us to see. Maybe it's his past. That's why he didn't react when he saw us. Also the same with the camera guy."

Julio nods in agreement. "Yeah. That's maybe the case. But then, why here?"

"Maybe it's random. I think the others would see it, or listen to his stories from himself."

"Uh-huh. Hey, they both went inside." Indeed, just a few seconds when we're talking, they're gone. We look inside the woman's room to see what's going on. The zombie guy's shoved against the wall, with scissors stabbing through his throat. Kuro's pushing the killer girl down to the ground, forcing her mouth to open and pouring the holy water into her mouth. The girl tries to break his grab, but he's using his body to stop her from moving. Meanwhile Shougo starts helping the afraid girl getting out of the rope before that thing snapped her neck. When he succeeds in his work and helps the girl standing up, the lying girl's also stopped moving, as Kuro throws one of her arms to his shoulder and carries her up. Both guys start moving the girls out of the room, but not before Kuro quickly pulls the scissors out of the zombie's neck. When the four of them didn't notice the zombie guy has turned his head to them.

Then, a blue flame appears and swallows the guy in it. And then…nothing…

We stand there a bit, trying to comprehend what's just happened. Then, Julio suddenly asks me: "Do you think Kuro obtained his power before this event?"

"I…don't think so. If he did, he didn't even need to use the scissors." Silence. "Let's get out of here first. We don't know if there's any danger…"

"Nao-mi, are your boobies just got bigger?"

"NONSENSE! You're just imagining things!"

We turn to the direction where Kuro has run off, and we're seeing the killer girl, walking while being harassed by the nearly-killed girl, the former being embarrassed and the latter being mischievous. Another event, I guess?

"Oh, come on. Even Kuro grew up as well, can't you get bigger like him?"

"I TOLD YOU THAT'S NOT…wait, who are you two?" The first girl notices us now. Wait, they're the real deal now?

"Huh?" The harassing girl now looks at us, and smiles even bigger. "Ho-ho. You found another boys other than your Satoshi? You naughty girl."

"It's not that. And get off me, Seiko! It's uncomfortable." After Seiko gets out of her, the girl bows to us. "Sorry for my friend's actions. She doesn't have much sense of embarrassment." Oh, don't worry about it. Just don't do it on us. "Anyway, why are you two here? It's been a long time since…"

"Hold up for a second." Julio interrupts her, as she looks up. "Are you two friends?"

Seiko, taking the chance, hugs Naomi again, if we're right about her first words. "Of course we are. Can't you see how close we are?"

…Is Kuro behind this…

I sigh. "May I ask if you remembered the boy who saved you before?"

Both of them tense up. Seiko asks us, a little bit suspicious. "What are you talking about?"

I point to the bathroom. "We just saw you nearly hanged by your 'best friend' here, and Kuro just saved you two in the last moment, while…"

"Kuro?" Naomi asks me. "You know him?"

Julio: "He's our friend. We asked him about a place called Heavenly Host, which I guess it's this place, and he just teleported us here without further explanations."

The two girls just look at each other in surprise after hearing Julio's explanations. I have to say something before they might have wrong assumptions. "He's on a foul mood. He just found out there's a copy version of Book of Shadow. Maybe he hasn't thought through before he got us here."

The girls haven't been recovered yet. I ask them: "Okay, can you help us finding Kuro and our friends, please? I'm sure some of them don't like this kind of atmosphere here."

Naomi regains herself back before speaking to us: "We should go now. The people here are more friendly, doesn't mean all of your friends will be okay around ghosts." I and Julio nod and start following them to the lower floor.

During the walk, I ask them: "Did you see any other people here? You know, the living ones?"

Naomi turns her head back: "We haven't. You're the first one."

Julio looks at the two, before asking: "How old are you two?"

Seiko asks him, she's having a smiley-cat face: "You're a bit rude, asking our ages like that gentleman."

Julio raises his hands up: "Sorry if I offense you."

Seiko just laughs: "I'm just teasing you. However, which age do you want to know?"

Julio has a confused look, but I understand why she asked that. "I think she's asking if you want to know her age now, or the age she's looking like now, Julio."

Naomi: "You seem to comprehend that quite easily."

"If I have to say, I'm nearly the same case with you." Now all eyes focus on me. "I have lived a lifetime, then I'm reincarnated into another person in the world where Kuro's associating with the Goddesses. You understand the rest."

Seiko suddenly smirks: "So, how many girlfriends do you have?" What?

Naomi shouts: "Out of everything you could ask, you asked THAT?"

Seiko nudges her: "Oh now, don't you feel a little bit lonely lately?" "THAT'S NOT WHAT WE WOULD TALK IN THE OPEN!" Naomi's face is fully red now.

I have nothing to say now. This girl and RED would be a good pair of teasing another girls…

Suddenly, I see another delusion of Kuro and Shougo carrying Naomi and Seiko. I point to the direction: "Hey you two, aren't they you?"

They look back and "Eh?" in surprise. Then, Seiko speaks: "Maybe Kuro wants us to follow that. Let's go."

* * *

Charlotte's POV

Someone's coming? We all look at the direction Morishige's looking, and see that Kuro and a guy carrying two girls on their backs. I almost walk to them if Mayu doesn't stop me. "That's not Kuro, just an event from his past." I nod slowly and continue watching. When the two boys take a sharp turn to a room at their left, I see Saito and Julio walking towards us with two other girls.

"Hey, it's Sakutaro and Mayu!" One of the girls shouts out to the mentioned.

We then gather before the door Kuro just entered. After a bit of information exchange, I got the names of the new girls: Naomi and Seiko. These two, along with Morishige and Mayu, are the victims of this place. But…it seems they're the remnants of the people Kuro have saved. Their alive counterparts are now living in their Earth. They're here, because they cannot return back no matter what. Kuro tried many ways for them to return back to their normal life but failed, and even with his Darkness power he couldn't do anything. That's why he's making everyone feeling more comfortable here rather than being covered in eternal darkness.

Though, the core element of this place, being haunted and such, is not making us feel easy.

Saito notices that us girls are not happy, as he asks Morishige: "Shouldn't we walk inside that room and take a comfort seat, before continuing our conversation?"

He blinks at the realization. "Oh, right, my bad. But…" He looks at the door behind him. "I don't think it's a good idea to stay in the clinic. It's not going to hold this much people."

Julio: "Then, what about the classrooms? I'm sure there are some that's still in good conditions, right?"

Fireball girl: "I took a look when I walked with Louise and Charlotte, but there's no room in much of a condition."

Mayu: "How about the auditorium? The one we used to celebrate Sachiko's birthday?" A birthday party for a ghost? Sounds strange…

Naomi agrees. "It's probably our best chance. Maybe the others would gather your friends there too."

"Excuse me but…" I decide to ask the crucial intel. "Do you all know about The Creator?"

All of the victims look at me. Seiko: "Do you? How about the…" She waves her index finger to my friends.

Saito nods. "Yes, we know. That's why Kuro actually trusted us enough to tell us about this place. Now, we should move on, before…" An earthquake interrupts his words as us human try to balance ourselves, or just straight up sit on the floor and wait for the earthquake to come.

When the earthquake ends, I look around to see if anything falls from the ceiling and…the place looks much cleaner… how?

Fireball girl: "Another teleportation?"

Louise: "That's normal here?"

Morishige: "Not to us at first. Only when Kuro called out the theory and we made a check, we found out why the earthquake occurred. It's more of **a spacequake** , but it's there."

Saito helps Louise to stand up, as Julio speaks: "We should get moving. No doubt another one could occur at a moment's notice."

* * *

Malthida's POV

"That's…not very pleasant."

Sasha: "Indeed. An earthquake from nowhere and without a warning? Not fit for my taste."

Satoshi: "Sorry about it. We aren't the ones designing it."

"It's fine. We saw stranger things."

Yuka giggles: "You're Kuro's friends, right? It must have been tough for you to follow him."

After the teleportation, only I and Sasha were in the classroom. We then met the Mochida siblings, and they're giving us a tour in this place, while trying to find Kuro at the same time. Sasha isn't used to this place, but to me, after seeing Kuro's Dark form, this place is like a quite park.

"Not so much. He's a reliable friend. Though, he likes to screw around a lot."

Satoshi: "That's what he's doing here after he absorbed all the Darkness. Making this place…not very haunted like before."

Sasha: "But then, why didn't he…"

Yuka: "He tried, but we're the remnants of the past. We can't escape here."

"How did he even test it if he didn't bring anyone with him?"

Satoshi: "He tested it with the person he killed. Needless to say, he's both pleased and not."

"Why both?"

Satoshi: "He only took a small part of that person and tried, and that part just vanished. He's pleased because he knew a way to scare the guy, but not pleased because he couldn't save us again."

"I see… Tough luck…"

Sasha changes the topic: "Anyway, how long have you talked to Kuro?"

Satoshi: "We lost track of time, really. Time in here would be different from his respective…"

Yuka suddenly asks Sasha: "Are you an Elf? Your ears are pointy and… your soul is a bit different than Malthida."

Sasha tilts her head: "Soul?"

Satoshi explains: "Thanks to Kuro, each of us has the ability to detect one's soul. But only in a certain range that we can deter how different one's soul is to the others. Before we met you, we could detect two souls suddenly appeared, so we thought two of us just teleported there."

"And you found us. What would happen if you didn't find us?"

Satoshi: "Well, since Kuro already fixed this place, I think that you would wander for a while before you found one of us. But if not, you're pretty much standing before the gate of Death, as Kuro dubbed it."

Only the ones who's close to Kuro in the past knew this detail. He himself even tried to find out if there were Dark spells in our world. He never wants anyone facing the same fate as him.

"You said there was an earthquake, right? Then the other part of the school should have appeared after that."

"Another part of the school? How did you know about that?"

Walking down the stair, Kuro and Satoshi are hurried about something… Another Satoshi?

Yuka seems a bit surprised, as she looks back and forth from her brother and the just-appeared one. Satoshi is surprised too, however, when he looks at a door that seems to lead to the outside, he understands. "I see, a hollow of the past."

"I take it that you know what that is?"

Satoshi nods. "It's when I lost Yuka to the other building of the school, and Kuro just met me for the first time."

Yuka: "I was lost back then, as I tried to find my way back to my brother, but then…" She stops there and shivers. Satoshi pats her head. "Now, now. He's been locked away so you don't have to be scared anymore." She nods, a bit of tears in her eyes can be seen.

Sasha: "Should we…follow the hollows?"

Past Satoshi noticed the door. "You're right! But I thought it was a wall before!"

Kuro: "That's how this place works. I will explain later when we have your whole group back, now come on!"

Satoshi: "I think we should. This place is no longer a dangerous place, and Kuro might want us, or you two, to see something. Let's go." Both of us nod as our group of four walk out of the door…

* * *

Colbert's POV

Where are we? Inside of an office of kind. Looks like the Headmaster's one to me. And, only Agnes is with me, and she's looking around, trying to find a clue where we are.

"It's…not what I'm expecting. Kuro made it sounds like he's teleporting us to a horrible place. But this? It's too normal for my imagination."

"You're…not wrong." I walk to the table, and look what's on it. It's the same like Old Osmond's, except that there's a family picture there. The old man in the middle… Then, the smell of blood comes out from the table, from one of the drawers. I open the one that I suspect, and how right I am, blood splats the inside of it. Agnes probably smells that too and walks to it, then walks back in disgust. "Blood in a place like that? Who would put blood in there?"

"That would be my doing. It's been a while since I had my last visitor being him." An old voice speaks at our left, as we instantly back away and point our weapons to the direction of the voice. We see an old man in a bole-colored suit, with a black tie and white shirt. He has slicked-back hair, black mustache and round-lens glasses.

And his words disturb me. "Who are you? And what do you mean by 'your doing'?"

"I suppose an introduction is a go. Takamine Yanagihori, the Headmaster of the school you're currently in. And about the blood in the drawer? Let the person controlling this place tell you, I don't think I should tell you that."

Agnes points her gun directly to his head. "And why should we listen to you? For all we know, you're planning something dark. And you just appeared out of nowhere."

He chuckles. "Sorry if I surprised you. But, I'm a ghost. That's normal to me now."

I'm still a bit caution about it. Ghost? Kuro's a god, but he mentioned he has died before… "The one controlling this place, why isn't that person you?"

"Another man has proved himself to be a better person than me in taking care of this place. So now…"

Agnes interrupts: "Kuro, is he the one you're talking about?"

The Headmaster, after a brief of surprise hearing the name, nods. "Yes, that's him. What is he to you two?"

Both of us: "Friends."

… The Headmaster laughs. "I thought so. Anyway, what are you going to do now? My office doesn't have much thing to fulfill your curiosity."

"Do you know where Kuro is?"

"Unfortunately, no. Only the First Four and Yoshie know exactly where he is. But, I could give you a tour in this place, and maybe we could encounter him in the way."

Agnes doesn't trust him much. "Why should we follow you? If you're the one making that…"

"If I was my past self, I would have killed you for finding out my secrets. But, not now. Kuro gave me a chance to redeem, and I'm not wasting it."

Another redeemable? How many…you know what, no, not going to ask that. It would get us another headache.

Agnes looks at him for a few more moments, then sighs and sheaths her weapons. "Don't make us regret it."

The Headmaster chuckles: "Of course. Follow me please."

We then head out of the room, and go down the stairs. The atmosphere is…dark, haunted…and the smell of blood…No wonder Kuro didn't want to talk about it at first.

Agnes pinches her nose. "Okay, this is too much blood for my liking. I have encountered blood in the war before, but this much in a school…"

Takamine: "One person caused all of this. And that's someone you would never expected in the first place."

"You?"

Takamine: "No. I'm the one who started this, but I'm not the one spilling these students' blood."

We then notice a corpse in the corner of the turn. The headmaster walks to it and kneels down, checking something.

Takamine: "An unfortunate fate… he must be really scared when he saw his life left him…"

"One of your students?"

"No. If you didn't know, Heavenly Host is an elementary school. This boy was a high-school student."

Agnes: "How did you even get here anyway?"

Takamine: "This place is hidden in a separate dimension. Only a few certain spells could get you here, if you screw them up."

I raise an eyebrow. "When you screw a spell? That's…a stupid way to design the spell…"

Takamine: "And yet, hundreds of students… could be more, failed, and ended up here."

Agnes: "Are those spells popular?"

Takamine stands up, and starts walking down further. "It is. However, those are just lucky charms. But, once you failed it…"

"Lucky charm? That could lead to somewhere like this?"

"Irony, isn't it? But, if you want to know why, we better find Kuro, or the culprit, to answer you that." We nod and start following him again…

We reach to the bottom level, and the Headmaster seems to lead us a bit aimlessly…

Agnes is getting impatient: "Where are you taking us? We don't have much time here."

Takamine: "First, when you're here, you have plenty of time. Timeline here runs completely different than the other universes. Second…I'm trying to see if Kuro left any clues…"

"YUKA! WHERE ARE YOU?" Someone shouts from the far side.

"YUKA! COME OUT!" This one is Kuro's voice. I shout into the darkness: "Hey, Kuro! Can you hear us?"

Suddenly Takamine snickers. Agnes asks him: "What's so funny?"

"You're trying to speak to the past."

"To the past?" Then, he and another person walks to us. But, they are transparent, and Kuro doesn't have his lab coat. "Why are they…"

Takamine: "Like I said. This is just an event of the past."

"BIG BROTHER! IS THAT YOU?" A little girl shouts from our back. Then, two people walk right through me and join the duo. The siblings are hugging each other in happiness, as Kuro and the guy walking with the younger sister before watch their reunion.

So Kuro's plan is to show us his past, huh? Makes sense if we want to know about this place…

Agnes suddenly says: "Why did Kuro give that person a look?"

I look at Kuro, and true to Agnes, his eyes towards the person Yuka was with was…strange. It's not thankful, but…despite…

Takamine: "He's his first kill."

…What?

Agnes: "First kill?" "That's something you should ask him directly."

"But, there's a reason for him to kill the person, right?"

Takamine: "Of course."

Kuro grabs the person's hand and shakes it. "Thank you very much. We're looking for the girl like, ever. Luckily that she hasn't been killed. We're very appreciated."

The person tried to say something, but then Kuro just pulled him, along with the siblings back to where they came from. "We need to find the others too. Make sure that we can find our friends before they got killed."

Takamine: "Let us follow them. I'm sure Kuro wanted us to do that. Who knows, maybe we can find your friends as well."

* * *

Sasha's POV

We open the door to see a bridge that leads to the another building of this place. And in that bridge, we can see three people, one girl, one boy, and a teacher. The three of them are looking at the forest around the school…

Satoshi probably knows them, because: "HOY! KISHINUMA! SHINOZAKI! MISS YUI!"

The three look at us, the girl then smiles and waves at us, or rather at Satoshi. "Hey, Satoshi! You're in this dimension too?"

Satoshi: "Seems so. Or Kuro has something in that…"

The boy, Kishinuma I guess, says in surprise: "Kuro? He returned? You met him?"

Yuka answers: "No, we haven't. But we met these two, and they said that they know him."

Miss Yui looks at us, and bows to greet us. "Nice to meet you two. My name is Yui Shishido, the teacher of these students."

I and Malthida bow to greet them back. Malthida: "Nice to meet you. My name is Malthida, and the girl here is Sasha." She stands straight up. "Judging by your reactions, you haven't met Kuro for a while as well, right?"

The girl, maybe she's Shinozaki, speaks: "He went and came whenever he wanted, and at the most unpredicted time. He returned here for no reasons is not…"

Satoshi interrupts her: "Kuro found a copy version of the Book of Shadow in a different planet."

Kishinuma shouts in surprise: "The Book of Shadow? That damn cursed book has a copy?"

I answer: "Luckily, according to Kuro, that one is not accurate, and no spells work. My…one of the people I know tried to use the spells, but he failed, and then just casted that away, not bothering with it anymore."

Kishinuma notices my pause in the middle of my words. "Your what? Everyone with their sanity intact would notice that book brings nothing but bad luck."

Malthida speaks up for me: "That's in the past, mister. We don't need to dwell into that anymore. That person is already dead, so we have lessened one problem."

Shinozaki shows a bit of concern. "Isn't that…a bit too cruel for you to say something like that? About a person's death?"

Malthida: "It's because this guy could be as bad as the first person Kuro killed, could be even worse."

Miss Yui scowls. "I still remembered him. He tried to kill you and his 'friends', right Yuka?"

Yuka shivers a bit. Yui immediately apologizes: "I'm sorry to bring that up. If that…"

Suddenly I hear two directions of footsteps heading to us, and Malthida also notices that too. I turn back to see the whole group of 6 students, including Kishinuma and Shinozaki, running out from where we just exited. I turn ahead to see the Mochida siblings, along with Kuro and someone…

"That person…" Malthida says, her voice holds a bit of venom in it. Is that person really…

Yuka immediately pushes herself behind Satoshi, trying to hide from that person. Satoshi pats her head to calm her down. "It's all right, Yuka. It's just a delusion. He's not here…" "It's…still scary Big Bro…" Then, the second later, both groups disappear.

"Malthida…" She turns to me. "You know him, don't you?"

Malthida: "Not personally. But, if I'm right, he's the first person Kuro has ever killed."

"Then, why did he look so friendly like that?"

"That's because he wanted that person to think he would get out with no punishment." The voice of Professor Colbert echoes for afar, and then, he and Agnes along with an old man walk to us. The students immediately bow to the man, except Kishinuma.

He smirks: "Never thought you would come down here. What's the occupation here?"

And instantly he's slapped by Shinozaki. "I know you don't like him, but at least pay your respect to the elder, wouldn't you?"

"Hey! He's the one who started everything, right?" "And even Kuro forgave him, why don't you?" "I'm not him, okay? I'm not that merciful like him!" And then the two start bickering to each other.

Agnes and Colbert walk to us, as Agnes whispers to me: "Were they like this when you met them?"

"No, actually. We just met him a few moments."

Satoshi sounds apologetic. "Sorry about these two. They're just like that every time."

The old man suddenly says: "Thirteen seconds before the teleportation everyone."

Satoshi is surprised: "That soon? We just had one a few minutes ago."

Yuka asks Malthida: "Is there anyone else with you?"

Malthida counts her fingers, then answers: "Four more. But they can handle themselves." Immediately after she finishes her words, blue flames appear around us, and before we could do anything, they gulp us down…

* * *

Saito's POV

We're standing in front of the auditorium's door now, according to the victims here. Compared to the other rooms, this area looks cleaner and more…welcoming.

Louise also notices that, as she asks Naomi: "Is this place special, that it's prettier than the other places?"

Naomi shakes her head. "Not exactly. This place has only used a few times for Sachiko's Happy Birthday parties. Sometimes, the others used it too, but not to its fullest. And, because since there's no one died here, at least that's what Kuro told us, this place doesn't have much of darkness corrupting it."

Seiko: "Now, now Naomi. Let's go inside first and show them…" Suddenly blue flames appear next to us, and the next second, the rest of our group are standing there.

Colbert is the first one to speak: "I saw Kuro did it many times ago, but this is the first time I was being teleported away like this." Then he notices us. "It seems everyone is here as well. Are you okay?"

Charlotte nods. "We're fine. How about you?"

Agnes: "Same. Though, we encountered a body, and…it's not a pleasure sight to see…"

Mayu nods in sadness. "Yes. Nobody is a pleasure sight…"

Morishige hugs her to make her feel comfortable, as her smile returns.

The old man walks to the door, put his hand on it to open, and turns to us: "Are you ready? Do you have anything to fix up first?" Everyone shakes their heads. "Alright, let's go."

And when he opens it…immediately the air feels heavy. This kind of heavy feeling can only mean one thing: Kuro is here, and he's not very happy.

In the middle of the auditorium, Kuro, in his Dark form, is facing his back against us, and he's looking at his floating screens, finding something with a few more people around him. Why do I know that's his Dark form? The freaking blood stain on the back and no-lab-coat appearance are the dead giveaways.

Kuro notices the door has opened, as he turns to us to show his badly-damaged face, that makes Louise and Charlotte grab my arm in surprise, and the others, who's alive, point their weapons to him. Only I and Malthida do nothing since we know that's him. He walks to us in a zombie-like fashion, that makes the matter even worse.

The old man sees that we're a bit on edge, as he laughs and uses his hand to lower Agnes and Julio's guns. "Don't be so afraid like that, it's just Kuro. I thought you already knew about this look of him?"

Charlotte is the first one to recover as she accepts the answer, a bit too fast. "That's Kuro?" The old man nods. Kuro stands in front of us and starts speaking, with his not-so-family-friendly voice: "Sorry about the sudden teleportation. I'm in a bit of hurry when I found out that…"

"Kuro…" Charlotte interrupts him, her hair's covering her eyes so I can't see how her eyes are like now. Kuro tilts his head in curiosity. "Yes?"

*SLAP!* We wince at that loud sound. Obviously Kuro won't feel it, but, if he's in his human form, he would have lying on the ground and massage the place Charlotte just slapped him. Geez, girls do hit hard.

Kuro is extremely surprised at that development, as he turns back his head, after being turned away by the slap, and looks at Charlotte. "Why did you…" Then, Charlotte just hugs him, shaking a bit. "Eh, Charlotte…" "Do you have any ideas how scared I was? Showed me your first kill with that empty eyes, and then just looked down to our place like that? And now you're showing up with this appearance?"

Kuro now realized something: "Wait, so the feeling of a person there…"

Charlotte interrupts him again: "Stop. I don't want to hear your excuses. From now on, you're going to be on my side, whenever you teleport us to anywhere. If you don't, I will ask Compa and IF to punish you together, got it?" She then looks up to show her watery eyes and a pouty face. SO, a little couple drama… Creator, you're running out of ideas.

Kuro then smiles and hugs her back. "I won't. And I'm sorry for scaring you like that." Charlotte's smile returns as she rubs her face to Kuro's body.

Well, at least they understand each other. If it's me and Louise, she would probably just turn away after scowling at me for like, an hour or so.

Seiko suddenly nudges Naomi with her Cheshire's smile. "Hey, Nao-mi. Isn't this what you always want to do with our Satoshi? You could do it now, if you like…" Both of the mentioned blush hard, and Naomi is covering Seiko's mouth before the girl could say anything that could embarrass the poor girl more.

Kishinuma just snickers. "Kuro did tell me that you did it one time to me, Ayumi." The girl blushes. "So? Can't a girl do that when she's scared?" "Hey, I never said that. Seeing Kuro like this just reminded me of the event." Kuro has A LOT of impacts to everyone he knows, doesn't he?

Yui then coughs to get their attentions. "Kuro, if I recalled, you're having some problems about the Book of Shadow, don't you?"

Kuro then turns serious as he releases his hug from his girlfriend. "Follow me." He gestures us to the screens he was looking when we opened the door. One of the people watching the screens turns to us. "Did you have a good tour in this place?"

I deadpan. "I wouldn't call it one, considering the sudden earthquakes, or spacequakes, and the blue flames are too sudden." Then, I turn to Kuro. "Why don't you turn back to your normal form?"

Kuro: "Sorry. If I'm here, I will be stuck like this. No changing before getting out of here." Then, he turns to the screen. "When you're taking the tour, I have scanned through a lot of universes to see if any other copies exist. And guess what, I found two more. One was from normal Earth, in the Shinozaki's old house. However, the Ayumi I saved has taken it with her, so it's safe for now. The other…" One screen is showing that he's trying to connect to someone. "I have to ask the permission of **her** first."

Malthida: "Permission? For what?"

Kuro: "To talk to the holder of it. *TRANSMISSION CONNECTED*. Okay, we're through." The person appears on the screen is…

?: "I didn't expect a call like this, especially from someone from another universe…"

Kuro: "Sorry about the call, but I need your permission to talk to your…"

?: "I know. The Creator told me about it."

Kuro: "What else did he say to you, other than me calling you?"

?: "He told me enough. I will take care of that problems."

Kuro: "Okay. Tell her she can keep it, but don't let **that magician** use the book. You girls can read if you want to, but don't use the spells in it."

?: "Normally I wouldn't listen to someone like you, but I don't like my place being trashed around either. Oh, and, when would you come?"

Kuro: "The Creator didn't tell me about that plan, so no, don't know yet."

?: "Fair enough. See you in the future. Oh, and, try to satisfy her desire." The woman points her finger to Charlotte and snickers, while covering her lower face **with a fan**. What's she implying. Then the screen turns static.

I turn to Kuro. "Is she the one…"

Kuro: "Yes. She's the real deal." Then, he turns to Charlotte. "May I ask what she meant like that?"

Charlotte: "Nothing." Your face says otherwise, Charlotte.

He then turns to us. "I think my work here is done. You want another tour here?"

Colbert: "No, thank you. The smell of blood here is not very…healthy for us."

Agnes asks him: "I think you should explain something to us first, before we returned back to Halkeginia."

Kuro nods and starts talking about his stories, identical to the stories he told with the Goddesses. And he earned another slap from Charlotte for being reckless. First is the staff whacking, then to ice spells, and now straight up slapping… Lucky, or unlucky to Kuro? The others are awe, or terrified about what Kuro has gone through.

In the end, we say our goodbye to the people here, and Kuro teleports us back to his house. And…Plutia, please…

Charlotte suddenly pulls him out of the house, much to his surprise. The others start standing up and are about to leave the house as well, when T.O shows up. "Louise, Agnes, Julio, Sasha, before you go, I need to talk about something."

When we sit back to our seats, T.O speaks: "I want to talk about the plan in a few days. Kuro, Charlotte and Aqua will attack into Joseph's place and eliminate him and take back the throne. During that time, I want you to go to the elves' land and make a treat with them. Once they agree, you ask the current leader to Tristain, the other leaders will take care of the rest. Do you have any objections?"

Julio: "Not exactly an objection. How are we going to convince the elves? Even with Sasha here?"

T.O: "Tiffania will go as well. Also, Bidashal is my friend. If you encounter problems, just call for Bidashal and say you're my friend. He will help you."

Sasha: "Will they ever forgive me for what I have done?"

T.O: "Better that or total annihilation. You elves should understand that better than us."

"Shouldn't Kuro…"

T.O: "After he has done with Joseph, he will be in the meeting. You will meet him there."

"When will these plans take place?"

T.O: "I will inform you once Kuro makes the plan in motion." I nod. "Also, about the visit to Heavenly Host…"

Julio deadpans a bit. "That's not pleasant. And, based on what Louise has said, was Kuro really that cold when he killed the guy?"

T.O: "If you know what that person has done, you're not going to have any sympathies to him."

Louise stutters: "But…in the end…when he looked at us…"

T.O: "According to him, he definitely felt someone there, but he dismissed and thought it's just a ghost of someone when he saw no one there."

"But, about his saving…"

T.O: "That's the mark of the beginning of his journey. The kill was near before he saved the Nine."

And we talk some more before T.O says his goodbye and disappears. The others leave the house, Plutia just…sleeps there, and I return to my room. Kuro hasn't returned though. Wonder what he's doing…

* * *

 **Chapter 14 end!**

 **A little travel to the secret vault (yeah, I know it's an archive, but vault seems better to me) and the Heavenly Host. You can see a few differences from the original Corpse Party. Since you already knew Kuro saved the ones from Blood Covered, so I won't tell much about it.**

 **About some of the bolded words...those are the clues for my next stories. Not immediately after this one, though.**

 **The ending though...your guess. I'm that evil :D.**

 **See you in the next chapters!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: If I own anything aside from my OCs and my stories, I wouldn't have enjoyed writing these out.**

 **Yeah...nothing changes, yet...though, my time for writing might be shorter, so expect the stories to come out about...around 1 to 2 weeks. Could be more, but I will tell you if that happens.**

 **To RedBurningDragon: I'm not commenting about the last line, since you will know about it from the start. But about IS universe...no, it's not. From what I remembered and heard (I haven't watched it yet), it's based on technology and science, rather than magic. If the book's there, then NO ONE is safe, and Kuro definitely won't like it. And the woman...I think I dropped enough clues about Kuro's connection to her. About their scales of power...**

 **Enjoy chapter 15 everyone!**

* * *

The next morning, Saito's POV

I wake up after a long night sleep. Luckily, Kuro's house works like the Room of Requirement from Harry Potter, so the room I'm staying looks exactly like how my old room has been. I open my room's door and walk outside, and after the morning routine, I walk to the main room of the house. Plutia has gone back to a room for her, so currently no one is here. But, it's a bit strange. Normally. Kuro should be here, checking whatever needs his attention.

I shrug it off, since I know Kuro isn't following any orders. I leave the house and walk to Louise's room to wake up, and I find Kirche walking in the same direction.

"Hey, Kirche, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, hi Saito. I'm planning to wake up Louise."

That's another strange thing. Kirche would have stuck with Charlotte and Louise instead. I did occasionally see her doing the same like this, though, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Why don't you go and wake up Charlotte? I'm sure she would be very appreciated."

Kirche suddenly looks a bit jealous. "I don't want to do so today."

… "What happened yesterday?"

"More likely last night. You didn't know?"

"Eh…no. The last time I saw Charlotte yesterday was when she pulled Kuro out of the house after a little travel to another dimension, why?"

Kirche pouts. "And you didn't tell me to go with you?"

"That's what I didn't know. Where were you when Louise and Charlotte received Kuro's words?"

"That? I thought you're only going down to the secret vault?"

"Then why didn't you come with them?"

"My father told me a lot about the vault, but he said there's nothing much there, aside from secrets after secrets. Also, I need to take care of Flame first, I have been away from him a bit too much."

"Fair point. Back to the matter, what happened…"

"I will tell you when we get Louise. Hey Louise, get up!" Kirche knocks on the door. After a 'wait-up' from Louise, she walks out with a small black spot under each of her eyes.

I grow a bit concern about this. "Louise, are you all right? Did you not get enough sleep last night?" She glares dangerously at me, as I have to raise my hands up in surrender mode. "Hey, I did nothing last night, okay?"

Louise: "I know. But, it's related to your friend." Kuro? "You really didn't know what happened last night, did you?" "I just talked with Kirche here. I know nothing, okay?"

Louise pinches her nose. "We better not walk there now. Let's go to the dining hall."

"What about…"

Kirche pulls me out: "Just ignore them for a while. The lovers need some times to be with each other." What the hell happened last night?

Wait a second… "Where's Illococoo? Shouldn't she in Charlotte's room?"

Kirche: "She said she felt better when she's in her Dragon form. Can't argue with that." Yeah, that's true. "Though, I never thought Charlotte would be that bold…" Don't tell me that woman knew about Charlotte's relationship with Kuro that much that she suggested that… She then turns to Louise. "Do you need any helps?"

Louise: "No thanks. I can walk on my own." She yawns and starts walking like normal. So I guess she's not exactly in the wrong mood.

…But I can't say that to the rest of the students. Most likely the girls, as they're discussing about something very loudly. I walk to Siesta, who has returned back to work a few days ago, and ask: "Do you know what happened yesterday? Is the topic here related to Kuro?"

Siesta shakes her head. "It seems so, but it happened in the girl's dormitory, so I'm not sure about it."

"When in last night?"

"Before everyone went to sleep, I believe."

"Thank you. Oh, who are you going to bring these cakes to?" I notice she's carrying a tray with pieces of cakes of all kinds.

"Oh, these? I'm going to bring to you all actually." Louise and Kirche has gone before me and sit in their chairs and started talking with Sasha and Tiffania.

I then grab the tray out of her hands. "Then let me do it. I need to talk to them about yesterday anyway."

"No, I should be the one who do it. You could just go to them and enjoy it." "Nah, it's fine. Besides, you need to serve the others as well, right?" "If you say so, then I won't stop you. Hope you have a good day, Saito." She then walks away and continues her work.

I bring the tray to the table and start giving them out. During that, I'm about to ask Sasha, when she notices my gaze: "For your information, I don't know either."

I sigh, and sit on my chair. "Better ask him later then." And we start eating our breakfast.

Only after we finish our food and the girls start heading to the class, I find Kuro, in Shanghai appearance, floating lazily around without no directions whatsoever. Once a while when he encounters something, he just changes the flying course to another way… I decide to grab him and try to pry all of the problems out.

I spin him so I face him directly. "Now, Kuro, tell me what happened during last night? What did you do to Charlotte?"

The doll tilts her head. "Last night? With Charlotte?"

"Yes. What did you do? Even Kirche got jealous, and Louise lost her sleep. And mind you, it seems every girl who lives in the dormitory knew what happened. You should have done something that caused this event upright."

She yawns. Oh, please, don't tell me my assumption was right. "About that, huh? Pick a seat somewhere, I will tell you…"

* * *

Charlotte's POV

Last night…it was fun. But nothing lasts forever. This morning I woke up late, and Kuro already prepared for me a small breakfast for me and him. When I finished it, he just pocketed everything away and walked out of the door, saying that he left for me to prepare for the class. I changed my current clothes to my uniform, grabbed my staff and walked out. It's convenience to have the hammerspace now, it helps a lot in packing things up.

However, during the walk to my class, I saw many other students, most of them were girls, talking something very loudly, and even looking at me in…jealous? I decided to pay them no mind and continued my walk. And when I entered the classroom…

Kirche instantly grabbed me like a doll and brought me to a seat next to Louise, and every girl started asking me questions about what I did yesterday… But, most of them focused on one subject: "Did you do THAT with him yesterday?" and "How could you ask him to do that?" and from Kirche herself: "Was he good on that?"

And each question passes by, and my face is redder and redder, to the point I'm sure I could explode at any seconds. Luckily. Louise is not the girls, and she grabs my sleeve and teleports both of us out of the noisy crowd. "Can you girls just stop for a minute? Jeez, asking those questions like that…"

Kirche starts leaning towards us first. "Oh, come on Louise. You heard those noises, right? That caused those spots under your eyes…" Noises? Oh, that. But it's…

* * *

Saito's POV

"You said you used the noise-cancelling device AND spell at the same time, and yet the whole dormitory heard what you two were doing?"

"Beats me. I'm sure the Creator had something to do with that."

"True enough. But, for someone like Charlotte to have that good of her lungs…"

"The Creator, again. He must have put an amplifier or something at that time…"

"But honestly, how could you even…"

* * *

Charlotte's POV

Louise: "I know. But they're not at fault, I'm sure of that."

Kirche: "You're unbelievably calm today…"

Louise: "We know Kuro for a while now, there's no way he would do something like that." Then she turns to me. "I hope you have a better explanation for this whole thing, Charlotte. I can only defend you this much."

The whole class turns silence, waiting for me to give them what they need. The boys decide to stay out of this as far as possible, even Guiche…

* * *

Saito's POV

"She asked you do THAT?"

"Don't need to shout like that, you know…"

*Head slams to the table* "Why, and how…"

"Hey, don't act like that. I don't want to reset the game, you know."

If you don't understand, Kuro brought out Western Chess and asked me to play with him, while discussing about this. I almost protested, if it's not for the fact I actually had nothing to do, at least not now. So I agreed…

"Sorry. But, I wouldn't be surprised if you got thrown in jail, if you're still on Earth…"

"Yeah, that's true. Except I'm not going to."

I raise my eyebrows. "No way in hell you can escape without problems."

"I never said that. What I meant is that I won't go to jail."

"Explain."

* * *

Charlotte's POV

"YOU REALLY ASKED HIM TO DO THAT?" Everyone shouts to me after I said my words about my 'first request' to him. I nod timidly and blush heavily because of their focuses to me. Even Louise and Kirche widen their eyes in shock, probably don't expect me to be the active one here.

"Charlotte…why?" "I can't believe you actually did that…"

"Okay, I think I found the problem here." Guiche suddenly takes a seat next to me. "Even though I'm not against it, I mean, Kuro and you love each other, but there's no way Charlotte would do without thinking straight. I heard that you pulled him right to your room after your travel, right?"

Montmorency asks him, a bit suspiciously: "You know something that we don't?"

Guiche: "My dear Mon-mon, this is just a theory of mine, but one that I have confidence to say that it's the highest possibility."

Kirche: "What do you think, Guiche?"

Guiche changes his look to… So you notice huh, Guiche? "You're the one who controlled me? From that moment?" Who else? But I don't make this up, okay? "Not making this up?" That's your desire at first place. I just pulled it out. "Grr…"

Since Momtmorency is not Gamindustrian, she has no idea who we're talking to. But she can still guess who it is. "Uh, Charlotte, who are you talking to? T.O?"

Kirche: "Not quite. Near correct, but it's still wrong."

Louise sighs: "We should have expected it from the beginning."

Kirche sudden smirks: "But, does that mean you truly want to do that? If his words are true…"

Louise grabs her note and whacks her in the head. "Don't tease her anymore. We already got our answers."

Kirche: "Oh we haven't…" She then leans her closer to me, that her face's nearly touching mine. "Now, tell me, did he accept your request, or…" "No." That's my simple answer.

* * *

Saito's POV

"You didn't accept it?"

"Yeah. You sound surprised."

"Of course I do. You're INVITED for that, and I'm sure that this world's rules about this are way more relax than on Earth. And you know it."

"And you know that my morale won't let me do that, don't you? Even when she's my girlfriend and POSSIBLY my wife in the future, I'm not taking her now."

"So then, what's the cause for her MOANING last night?"

"Uh, **massaging?** Also, checkmate."

I look down to the game and indeed, I just lost. "DON'T JUST DISTRACT ME WITH THINGS LIKE THAT DURING THE GAME!"

* * *

Charlotte's POV

"Massaging?" Kirche asks me. I nod. "Massa…ging…" I nod again. She sighs heavily and leans back to her chair. "I thought he would do that, but no. He's too shy for his own good." And she earns another whack from Louise.

Montmorency asks: "But then, how could you make such loud sounds?" That innocent question…

"I'm not sure either. But I'm sure I kept my voice down… Him again." Yeah. All things to me. This time it's all little old me. I sigh. Just what are you trying to aim for? For you to know the feeling of hating me in the future. Huh? Let's just say…I'm going to do something that both you and Kuro are going to kill me for that. So, I'm doing this for you to not pour lava on me in the future. If you know that, then you better pray that… I will tell you when the time comes. You will know…

Louise suddenly asks me: "Are you okay, Charlotte? Did the Creator speak to you about something?" The others have returned back to their seats, and the ones who know about the Creator change the seats to the places near me. Excluding Guiche, who's chatting with his boy friends now.

I massage my temples in frustration. "Yes, he did. He told me he did this for something he's going to do in the future."

Kirche grows concern to me. "What is he going to do?"

"I'm not sure, he didn't say about it. But, he also said both me and Kuro will kill him for that."

Montmorency: "That extreme?"

"That's what he told me. Not sure why…" We stop our talks to see the Professor entering the class and starting another day of studying for us…

* * *

Lunchtime, Saito's POV

Julio: "So all of the commotions today are just some misunderstandings?"

"Yes. And Kuro's the one who did it."

Kirche: "But the one making things worse was the Creator."

Julio: "And that's for something he will do in the future, which both of you will try to kill him for it…"

Charlotte and Kuro: "Yes."

Julio: "Are you sure? Doesn't he have power to manipulate mind?"

Kuro: "I checked. There's no strange memories or holes in my mind. So, what we did was only massaging, nothing too much."

Normal conversations, as usual.

Julio sighs. "We should change the subject. Now Kuro, how are you going to deal with King Joseph? Assassination, or take the throne by rules?"

Kuro: "Kick his front door and walk in. Is that okay?"

"Easy to say. How about Charlotte and Aqua?"

Kuro: "You sure know I'm protecting them with all I have, right? If necessary, I will bring Illococoo with us."

Uh, Kuro? Can I do a check-up first?

Kuro: "What's the matter?"

Apparently Joseph found something that he dubbed Jormungand, which, from the description from the episode list, some living thing with a large eye. I'm trying to see if that thing is dangerous or not. Be careful before I could give you more details, okay?

Charlotte: "A living thing?"

Kirche: "I think he has never seen that thing before, so he's not sure about it."

Louise: "Sounds like a bugbear to me."

"That floating eye? I can't still understand how you call something like that bugbear. Bug, I understand, but bear?"

*Shivers* Eww…

Kuro: "Your voice is shaking. Did you find…"

I'm not telling anything. Not now at least. I'm giving you the image Kuro.

A bit of silence, and Kuro, from his normal look to disgust look. "Yeah… Let's finish our lunch before this, or not saying about it at all. It would be the best."

Charlotte: "How…" "Please, Charlotte. I don't want to think about it again." We slowly nod and continue our meal.

* * *

From there to the afternoon, nothing much happens. Just us sparring with each other, with real weapons. Or most likely, all of us trying to take Kuro down. And so far, only I, Guiche and Julio can still stand. The girls already run out of mana, and their physical strength is not good enough. Even Guiche has to use the Z-Saber now.

And Kuro using Share Blade and Gehaburn at the same time is not fun.

Julio: "Are you cheating or not, Kuro? You're not looking anywhere exhausted."

Kuro: "You forgot I'm already dead right? Once I want to, those features showing my fatigue are not visible."

"But it doesn't mean you're not tired."

Kuro: "Well, mentally only. My multi-tasking is improving, but not on par with many geniuses out there."

Guiche: "So even God has flaws. Sounds good to me."

Kuro: "Everything has flaws. Well, maybe the word 'perfect' itself is not, but my point still stands." He then glances at something. "Hey, Plutia, please don't play with those papers. I don't want to write it down again." We hear a pouty wince behind us, but decide not to turn back.

Julio, taking the chance, swings down his sword on Kuro, but it's blocked by Share Blade. He instantly pulls out his gun and fires, forcing Kuro to raise Gehaburn to block it and push Julio out of him. Guiche and I swing both our weapons to his sides, but still get blocked. Only when Julio swings down again, Kuro has to blink away to avoid it.

"You guys are getting better."

"Only because you're limiting literally everything. But your sword skills were polished for your 40 years dying already."

Kuro: "You have at least 80 years of knowing stuffs. I won't be able to keep up with you if I'm being used to my power." Then he throws his right hand up to block a boulder that heads right to his head. "Nice seeing you joining us, Linda. And ruining my purpose." We turn our heads to the left to see Malthida holding her wand up, and her golem starts chucking more boulders, which makes Kuro jump left and right to avoid it.

"You boys sure take your time. Try to hit his vital points, you know?" Malthida says while creating a pillar of stone that raises under Kuro's feet, and narrowly hitting his head if he didn't back-step.

"Well, if you put it that way…" I sheath my katana and mimic Iaido stance. "We should get serious from here." I leap towards and swings the sword out, not being surprised that, once again, Kuro blocks it. Doesn't mean he can block the block of mud is heading to him and *slams* him comically to the ground. The mud soon is blasted away, but before Kuro could stand up, Guiche falls from the sky, with the tip of the spear aiming to his head. Kuro uses his right foot to kick the spear away, making it stab the ground. During the momentum, he plans the same foot on the stalk as a stand point to deliver a sidekick with his other foot, hitting the user and send him fly away along with the spear. Julio, while running towards us with Guiche on his route, immediately grabs Guiche's hand and throws him right back at Kuro. I take that moment to stab my katana right through his heart, causing him to groan in pain, and followed by another one when Guiche manages to stab him at the same spot. Kuro de-summons Share Blade and swats us out with the other sword, then proceeds to pull our weapons out while dodging Julio's gunning and Malthida's boulders throwing. Once the weapons are out, he immediately teleports in front of Malthida and attempts to knock her out of the fight. 'Attempts to' because she pulls out her pipe and blocks the strike just in time and pushes him out. Julio runs to Kuro and takes that moment to kick the remain blade out of his hand. And with the final strike, he cuts off Kuro's head, thus ending the spar.

When his body is not moving at all, we take that moment to catch our breath. Seriously, if he's using both his Darkness and his CPU power, then we all could go down in just one move. And don't think a fight is going to be like, episodes long like Dragon Ball, that kind of thing is just for drama. Real fights take only seconds to decide who's the winner.

Kuro: "Damn, Julio. That's a swift move from you." His body starts moving again and walking to where his head rolled. "But, was that necessary?"

Julio: "You can ditch it. Don't complain." "Doesn't mean I didn't feel it, okay?" His body picks the head up and places it to the correct position. "May I ask, Linda, why are you here?"

Malthida recalls her power, and the golem deconstructs. "The Headmaster wanted to tell you about your travel to Gallia and the Holy Land. He said you need permissions from the Queen and such."

Kuro: "Ah yeah, that matter…Let me get my papers back and then we go, okay?" "Take your time. We're not in a rush." He starts walking back to Plutia, but not before patting my and Guiche's shoulder. "You two did well. Keep it up."

After our spar, the others go their ways doing their things, while I and Kuro follow Malthida to go and meet the Headmaster. He said that, even though we have teleportation spells, we should get the permission from the Queen if things go south. We doubt that, but, we can't ignore Murphy's law either. Kuro then disappears, and I excuse myself to go out and look for Illococoo to tell her about our plan, if she hasn't heard it from Kuro.

* * *

"So I, Big Bro and Big Sis will go to Gallia and take down the bad guy in her nation?" So she didn't know. Also, not questioning how she calls Kuro and Charlotte.

"Basically. But, you're going to meet Charlotte's mother first. Wait…did she go back to her mansion?"

Illococoo tilts her head. "Big Sis' mother?"

"Yeah. She said that she wouldn't go back until we take down this bad guy. Maybe she's still with Wanda, or with the others."

"Why did I even bother?" Suddenly Kuro appears next to me. I turn to him: "What's wrong?" "Why do I need permission to go to Gallia when Charlotte's from Gallia?" "Don't you need the Queen's permission to leave? Charlotte needed one to get here, right?" "That's like a two-way ticket." "And the one ordering it is Joseph. He could take it back any seconds." "Who could stop us mid-fly?" "Mid-fly?" Illococoo asks him. "Do you mind if you fly us there?" "No, I don't. But why?" "Eh…Your Big Sis likes it, that's all." "Okay! Everything for Big Sis!" She then nudges her head to Kuro, as he pats her. Mind you, she's in her Dragon form.

"Back to the matter. Mid-fly or not, Joseph could just stop you." "Hey, who would stop someone from their nation return back? Unless they're wanted or being exiled. And clearly Charlotte is not." "But…" "The Orleans is still a Noble family, only that their affection to the nation is not the same like before."

I throw my hands to the air. "That's your choice of thinking. I won't ask further. But, do you know where's Aqua now?" "She's with Terry now." "Guiche's father?" "Yeah. Just some bond-fixings." "By the way, when would Henrietta come back?" "I think it will be a week. Tonight, we will go to Gallia." "Tonight huh? Then, what about us?" "Hmm, you could rest and go tomorrow. There's no rush in your objectives." "All right. So, what're you going to do now?" He turns to Shanghai and says nothing. "Okay then. I'm going to see if Louise is okay after the spar. See you later, both of you." "Later Saito!"

* * *

Nighttime, Kuro's POV

"Are you three ready?"

Illococoo raises her front paw: "Anytime you want to go, Big Bro!"

Aqua and Charlotte: "We're ready."

I nod and turn into Shanghai. The three of us climb on Illococoo's back and she starts taking off…

With her incredible speed, and my power to cut down space, about an hour later we have reached the border line between Gallia and Tristain. We happen to fly past the Orleans' mansion, as we look down at it.

Aqua speaks first: "When I return here, we will make Gallia return back to what it should have been."

I nod. "Joseph made a mistake when he killed your husband. I will make sure he pays for what he has done to you, and countless of innocents." Charlotte suddenly grabs my hand. I turn to her. "What is that, Charlotte?"

She doesn't say for a few seconds, then… "When I rule this place, I want you to rule side-by-side with me."

I smile and nudge her face. "You know that I'm having the Research Land to take care, right? But, I could be your protector. I don't need to be a king to be with you, right?" She smiles and pokes my face gently, which I gladly grab her finger for the cute scene.

Illococoo suddenly asks: "If Big Bro is not with you, then…"

"You are welcome to stay with us, you know. Either by the Orleans girls, or you could visit my world." She chirps in happiness. We have flown past the mansion.

Aqua asks, a little sad: "You're going to return after this, right?"

"Maybe. Maybe there're more for me to deal with first."

Charlotte: "I don't want you to go…"

"You know my destiny. But I will be with your side forever. Nothing will separate us to be with each other."

We stay silence for a while. Then, Aqua asks me: "You want us to confront Joseph directly?"

"Yes, because I have to deal with…" I stop a bit, as I see my destination. "I will cut short here, you girls be careful, okay?" After receiving nods from them, I pat Illococoo's head for goodbye, and jump out of her back, returning back to my normal form. I make a sky-diving to the ground and land right in front of the gate, creating a small crater in process. About three seconds later, some of the guards of this place, where Jormungand is being kept in, walk out with their weapons pointing at me. I slowly stand up, two katana materializing in my hands, and Death appears with the scythe behind me, causing the guards to shriek in fear. I raise my head, look at them, and show them my most sadistic smile:

"Knock, knock."

* * *

Charlotte's POV

Really, Kuro? Do you have to make such entrance?

My mother sighs, but chuckles at the same time: "Show-off in a time like this, Kuro is like Neptune the most."

I nod. "She's the most cheerful one among the Goddesses, isn't she?"

"She is. Illococoo, can you land us there?" My mother points to the front door of the big mansion. She nods and lowers our height.

And of course, we're instantly greeted by the spells the mages on the ground firing at us. My mother sighs, this time in frustration, and waves her wand to cast a water shield around us, making the spells disappear. Even when Illococoo lands and we stand on our own feet, they still attack us. When the foot soldiers, the ones without magic, run towards us, I freeze the ground causing them to slip. The freezing area thickens, locking their limbs. Not to the point of covering their bodies, though. While the shield's still there, Illococoo flies towards the guards and starts swatting them, leaving them unconscious. We're moving towards to the gate, and I'm about to blow up the gate with an ice spear when suddenly one solider, who I guess is the Captain, orders the soldiers to stop attacking.

He then kneels to us: "Lady Orleans, it's good to see you on your feet again. But, why are you here? And how are you so…" He stops there. Maybe he doesn't want to say anything rude to my mother.

My mother: "How I am so well?" He slowly nods, then asks: "And where are you during these weeks? We have reports that you're nowhere to be found, even your butler…" "I was saved by an old friend of mine, and…"

"SIR! The people from our camp requested assistance! Someone's attacking them!" One mage runs up to him and shouts. The captain stands up, turns back and says: "How many people are they fighting against?" "One sir." The captain is surprised. "Don't tell lie to me soldier. How many…"

"Stop." My mother orders them, as they turn to her. "If you value your soldiers' life, then recall all of them back. That person won't be merciful this time."

The captain is baffled. "Madam…you're on the enemy's side?"

My mother: "Take me to where Joseph is, now. You can hear the rest of the story there. And don't tell your soldiers to go to that camp."

The captain looks to me and Illococoo, who has turned to her human form, then asks: "About them…"

"They're with me, no matter what."

"Madam, if you're planning to…" "I AM planning to overthrow Joseph." All the soldiers nearby gasp, and then one of them laughs and the rest follow. Only the captain looks worried to us. "I'm sorry madam, but he's strong, stronger than you, and…" "I'm aware of it. But I have ways to deal with him. If you're standing on my way…" She raises her arm towards him, and an ice rapier appears and nearly stabs the captain, causing him to yelp in surprise. "You can guess what's next." Her voice turns cold, like the sword on her hand right now.

The soldiers are raising weapons towards us now, but the captain shouts to them to stand down. He then looks at us. "If you follow me, you won't hurt them." "I'm not planning to. And if you stay loyal to me, I will treat you all better than Joseph now." The captain considers all possibilities, then nods. She lowers her sword, as the captain gestures us to follow. We walk behind him, completely ignore the soldiers giving us looks of mocking or worrying.

We nearly reach Joseph's office when we meet his secretary, Sheffield. That woman asks the captain: "Why are you leading them here? Joseph is…" "It's about me." Both of them look at me, as that woman finally realizes who just spoke. "Madam Marietta, why are you…" "Where is Joseph? I have something to speak to him." "I'm afraid he's busy now. I can't tell you where he is."

"I wonder…" She turns to me. "Did it happen to me that he's in the camp at the seacoast?" She's surprised. "How did you know about that place?" My mother turns to Illococoo, which she raises her hand up: "I flew all of us here." "She's a Rhyme Dragon, if you know what I mean." "Those Dragons are rumored to be extinct." "Not anymore. Anyway, is that the place?" "If you know about it already, then yes, he's there. But then, why…"

* * *

Kuro's POV

"How boring…" I say, while sheathing my left katana and replace it with a revolver. Right now, my blade is covered in the enemies' blood. Some of them, my swords just knocked them unconscious. Probably we can recruit them back later. About Death, though…

"Those vile souls…urgh…" She's not happy though.

"Thought you would like these souls to go to hell?"

"I'm happy that I get rid of them, but they're so bad! I want to harvest those innocent souls…"

… "Can you…quote it better? It sounds like you're a mass murderer…"

"Don't talk about me like that…" Yes, I'm just joking with her. But in all seriousness, what she means is that, she wants to guide the ones who dies naturally, and ones who never did anything bad in their life. Those people I have killed, I'm sure they're rotten to the point they can't be fixed. The others, they have a chance for redemption. Only if they grab that chance though…

"That aside, what are you going to do now?"

"Obviously, find that damn thing and destroy it. Even when it's just a golem, that thing looks hideous."

"And you think you could just walk in and do whatever you want?" We look to the direction of the voice, to see that Joseph is standing on the bridge that leads to a wall, which I assume that's the hidden door. And he's not happy. Good. "Are you so arrogant that you come here alone? One of my men has already run away, he would have contacted our remains…"

I interrupt him. "You really think I didn't know? I allowed that to happen."

Joseph snorts: "Allowed that? Don't be so self-confident like that. Also, attacking a facility that's owned by the King of Gallia, you have some nerves doing so."

Death already disappears when Joseph makes his appearance. I point my sword to him. "Not anymore if I kill you."

He 'hmm' and pulls out his wand. He steps a bit towards me and picks up the sword of an unconscious soldier. "I don't like wasting my power, but now, I have to deal with you personally. Let see if the information Myoz gave me is correct…" I see him chanting a spell, probably Acceleration, and then, he disappears in front of me. I decide to not care about it, and start walking towards the wall. And mind you, there are tons of unlit places in here, so Joseph probably tries to use that as his advantage. Not working to me though.

*Clang* I use my sword to block a direct hit from the top behind me without looking at him. Then, I feel the weight gone as he runs away again. I decide to stand there and let him attack for a while, entertaining him just a bit.

Around the time the girls were heading to Joseph's office, I just stood here blocking whatever Joseph tries to hit me. I have blocked all of the exits, so he's stuck here with me. And he's using his goddamn spell for too long now, won't he get tired?

 _ **At this pace you're going to stand here forever.**_

I'm aware of that Death. You know what, how about a game?

 _ **At time like this?**_

Why not? Do you know the game 'I spy'?

 _ **Is that a guessing game?**_

Yeah, pretty much. I see something, I tell you the first letter of the object, and you guess it. It doesn't have to be something solid, though, but it has to be something both of us can see.

 _ **I see. How about you first?**_

Okay… I spy with my little eyes, to see something with F.

 _ **Uh, fire?**_

Yeah. So, your turn now.

 _ **Okay! I spy with my little eyes, to see something with J.**_

Joseph?

 _ **No.**_

Oh? Let's see… This place is most likely resembled a forge. Hmm…Joker? Nah. Oh, Jormungand is on the other side of the wall. Is it?

 _ **Yeah. Your turn.**_

Well, you know this. I spy with my little eyes, something with M.

 _ **Oh, you want to end this?**_

Sorry, need to do so.

 _ **Okay then. How about both of us say that word at once?**_

Good idea. One. _**Two.**_ Three…When Joseph appears at my left and he's about to stab me, both my sword and my revolver are replaced by Blanc's hammer, and I swing it directly to his chest, causing him to be flung away and cough in pain.

 _ **MIS**_ TAKE. _._

He starts pushing himself off the ground, blood dripping from his mouth. I think I hit him a bit too hard, maybe caused internal damage. Probably broken ribcages. "How…how did you know where I was?"

"Seriously, to deal with the ones like you, I just have to wait for you to make mistakes. You are fast, but you're predictable, and you can't attack multiple places at once. And also, I can trace your moves all the time, I was just letting you feel like you're on the dominating side."

He coughs more, as I re-materialize my revolver. "All the time…You can trace my proudest spell…what are you?"

"Wardes has told you about me, right?" Now he looks at me, measures, and then smiles.

"So, you're that person…No wonder you can beat me that easy…Today is the day I die, huh?"

I raise my gun to his head, and he continues: "Go ahead. Pull the trigger. End my suffering."

Press Left Mouse to kill Joseph / Press Space to capture Joseph. Are you serious? Sorry, need to do so. So, your choices?

…

"What about your familiar? You're going to leave her like that?"

"Her? She's just a pawn in my game." My eyes twitch when I hear that. This person…

"Don't you see she loves you?"

"Love? What's that? She's under the influence of the familiar rune. And why do I have to bother with something trivial like that?"

I decide to put the gun away, and high-knee Joseph to the chin, making him fall back and into unconsciousness. Sigh, that decision belongs to Charlotte and Aqua, not mine. But, I'm sure Sheffield would want a few words with Joseph here.

I turn to the wall, and use my power to open it. Once walking inside, I see the body of Jormungand… eww. I don't want to talk about it. Hey, Deadpool, how many C4 is this going to take? 'About 420 ounces, or if you want to change to… _ **F**k that, just use all of them!**_ ' Okay. And I decide to set 5-minute delay, since I need a bit of time to move the people who's still alive outside.

Half a minute later, everyone is outside, still sleeping though, and Joseph is barely hovering on the ground since I'm grabbing his collar.

 _ **I spy my little eyes, to see something with M.**_

A M again, Death?

 _ **I find it beautiful. And it's plural.**_

'I see'. I chuckle and look up to the sky. 'Those moons sure are beautiful.'

* * *

Charlotte's POV

I know that the Elite Hunters are some of the most powerful people from Gamindustri, but…I never thought they could be this powerful

When my mother told me about the ruckus Kuro's making, the woman, Sheffield, immediately attempted to run away. My mother instantly created an ice wall blocking her way. And when Sheffield opened a portal like Louise, the whole area was suddenly covered by ice, and the portal instantly closed. Sheffield tried to open the portal again, but failed.

"What…what did you do?"

"Isn't it simple? I simply froze the area around us."

The captain is shaking in his shoes, trying to say something, but none comes out of his mouth due to his teeth chattering each other. I and Illococoo are not affected though.

"But, that spell…it's Water-affinity! Why can't I use my Void portal?"

"I said it, right? Froze the area…meaning, ALL attempts to escape and enter here are worthless, unless you're stronger than me, which you're not."

The familiar turns fearful. "What…how…what are you? You can't be Marietta. She's never this powerful!"

My mother shakes her head. "I was weak. Before I was poisoned, I was weak indeed. However, after Kuro saved me, my power from the past returned to me. This power is not from Marietta de Orleans, but rather from Aqua, Elite Hunter of Gamindustri."

Sheffield grits in annoyance and fear. Then, we hear an explosion sound outside of the window (it's only frozen in the frames). We look out to see smoke coming from the seacoast…

"So you decide to use this spell again huh, Aqua?" Kuro appears behind Sheffield, with Joseph under his feet, unconscious and with blood dripping out of his mouth. She might do something if Kuro didn't punch her right at her stomach, causing her to gasp in pain and surprise before losing her consciousness. He then waves his hand around, and all the ice disappears.

The captain, now regain his temperature, inhales and exhales in relief: "Brimir, I thought I was going to stay frozen forever." Then, he notices both Joseph and Sheffield lying, and Kuro standing there. "Hey, who are you?"

Kuro doesn't answer him, as he turns to my mother: "You didn't tell him about me?"

She shakes her head. "Not directly. I told him you're the one attacking the seacoast base."

"I see." He then looks at the Captain. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kuro. May I ask where the prison is, so I could keep them in?"

The Captain pulls his weapons out and points at him, but my mother puts her hand on his shoulder. "He's with us. Lower your weapons." The Captain reluctantly does so, but still keeps an eye on Kuro. "Now, Kuro, what happened to…"

"Done. The soldiers, who's alive, are lying unconsciously on the coast. Captain, you can call your soldiers to go there and get them now."

The Captain moves his sword a bit to point at the King, former King, and his assistance and asks: "What about them?"

"We will deal with them, accordingly. Go, those soldiers won't have much time before wild creatures get to them." The Captain nods and runs away. He then turns his attention to us. "You got any problems getting here?"

Illococoo answers: "We got attacked by those mean soldiers when we're arrived! But then Big Sis and her mother just wrecked them good." A bit of problems: I'm short of words, so the lines are just for your understanding, not how she said it.

Kuro nods. "Aqua, why did you use your EXE?"

She answers: "Sheffield planned to run away with a portal."

"I see. Now, can you show me where can I put those two in?"

* * *

Later, prison, Kuro's POV

I'm leaning against the wall, that's facing the cells holding Joseph and Sheffield. I healed both of them, so they won't die from the internal wounds. HOWEVER, once I get enough information…

Uh, Kuro? Maybe killing them is not a good option.

Sorry, just lost in thought. But, what he did to them…

We know. But now, just let it go and make sure Aqua can win, fairly I mean.

Once I announce and give out the evidences that Joseph 'cheated', then no one would care about him anymore.

That's what we think, not what the others do. Not all of them.

We will see about that…

Joseph's the first one to wake up, as he starts sitting up, and realizes that he's in the prison cell. And I'm sitting right outside of it, waiting for him. The man chuckles, walks to the door of the cell. "So, you decided not to kill me."

"Not worth it. Besides, if I killed you now, Aqua might get bad reputation."

"And throwing me into cell won't?"

"We have evidences that you killed Charles. Once it comes out, you will be judged by the Gallia's Nobles and Aqua."

*Chuckles* "Evidences? From what?"

I open a screen, and show it to him. The screen's running a video, when Joseph and Charles were hunting in that day. It shows all the details, every single moment, even when Joseph planned the poisoned arrow and killed Charles. And then the next scene when he planned the poison for Charlotte but Aqua took it instead.

Joseph widens his eyes in shock that all of his secrets are out. When I make the screen disappear: "HOW? Where did you take that?"

"I will tell you about a part of my power…" Then, hollows of prisoners and the guards coming in and out appear around us. "I can travel through time, and interfere with any kinds of events I want to. Even to the point of 6000 years ago, the time when your Brimir became famous for what he has done for you, or to the future where no one would think how this world has become because of your actions from now. About how I got it… just say that the 'commoners' you're looking down on have found a way to do so." And then Joseph is choked by one of the 'hollows'. He tries to pry the hand out of his neck but no success so far. "Also, I could make a person feel an event that happens in a different timeline, like right now…" Joseph tries to shout… "This happened before, you remembered, right? You choked one of your prisoners, one of the 'fallen Nobles' here, just because they didn't agree with your plans. You remember what happened next, don't you?" He recognizes what I'm trying to do, as he reaches his free hand out, trying to reach me. "And don't think I will show mercy here. You will surfer, like the ones before. Surfer, to the point that…"

"STOP! YOU'RE KILLING HIM!" I turn to the next cell, to see that Sheffield is awake, and she's trying to break out of the bars. Even with her familiar power, which I have already locked down, she won't do much. I turn back to Joseph: "Why bother caring about his life? He never cared about your well being…"

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT THAT!" Ah, she never found out, didn't she?

"You did notice he never treated you…how would I say it to not upset you? Hmm…right, unfriendly?" I decide to honor her request by stopping my power, making Joseph drop to the ground and breath heavily. "He didn't even call you by your name, but rather Myoz this, Myoz that…"

She glares at me angrily: "He has every right to call me whatever I want…"

"Like you're nothing but an animal to him?" "YOU!" She pulls out a wand (Yes, I let her hold it) and tries to fight a spell at me, but obviously it won't work. "You really expect me to give you a wand without a back-up plan, Sheffield? Now…" I stand up put the recorder on the ground between the cells, but far out of their reach. I press the play button. "This is what I want you two to here. After this, try to think what you have done. If you're not going to change…" I hang the words there and walk away.

* * *

I close the door that enters the prison and walk back to my room…

"Yo, Kuro my man! This place looks awesome! Well, it's not the same like my house, but it's still good!" After I made the joke, he appeared.

"Deadpool…" I speak to him emotionlessly.

"Yo, cheer up, my dude! Your girls are safe now, right? Don't be so down like that!" He throws his right arm over my shoulder, the other hand's holding a piece of pizza. IT'S CHIMICHANGA! Sorry, forgot you like that stuff more. BETTER GET THAT RIGHT NEXT TIME, DUDE! OR I WILL WRITE THE STORY FOR YOU! Wilco.

I sigh. Luckily both of us know something to satisfice him. "It's not that matter. I won't let anything harm them. But…" I turn my head to the prison's door. "I don't know what's the best way to deal with them."

"Come on! One shot, each to the head. Easy…" "It's not the same, Deadpool. If we do that, the Orleans WILL get their reputation ruined. I can't let that happen." "Then, let me do it."

I look at him. He has a point here: If he's the one who killed both of them, the Orleans won't be after this, since Deadpool is an outcast for this. But… "I would prefer a more peaceful way."

"Peace is never the answer, my friend!" He eats the chimichanga. "With those two, just send him to Death. Hey, you have your own Death to screw around with, right?"

"You know I don't look at her that way, right?"

"Hey, I'm just saying." He finishes it. "Anyway, I think I should let you alone, and let your Creator do his own things, shouldn't I?" You can stay, I will manage something… DON'T WORRY! I WILL HAVE MY MOMENTS LATER! SEE YA! And then he's gone…

"He is a unique character, isn't he?" I look at Aqua, in her nightgown. "How're you doing with the two?"

"Not very well. But, I left them a record about many things. Let's see what would they react later."

"You should head back to your room now. Or, you want to head to my daughter's room?" An innocent question, but behind that…

"I'm…not sure." I turn to the window to observe the two moons on the sky. "Tomorrow is the time to change. I don't want to interrupt her sleep."

"It's your choice. But, you better get some rest. Charlotte will kill you if you stay up again." "Yeah, I know. Thanks for the advice."

* * *

The next day

I ended up using Charlotte as my personal hug pillow. Luckily she didn't mind it. At least she won't kill me for staying up at night.

The others MIGHT though…

"Wake up, lovely couple! It's morning!"

I gently retract my arms out of her, and turn to the culprit. "Don't you have anything better to do, Deadpool?" I sit up. "Like, trolling Wolverine?"

"Been there, done that. It's not everyday I can wake up a couple rudely without being shot at."

*Bang!* "And it won't be any sooner."

"OH COME ON! I thought it would be the day!" He looks back at me with the hole on his head.

"Besides that, what do you REALLY want to tell me?"

"About the two in the prison."

I facepalm. "Don't tell me you killed them."

"No, no. Quite the opposite. They're pretty much alive. However, they're not in good conditions."

… "You did something to them?"

"Eh that…you can look for yourselves." He then just disappears. What's going on?

"Kuro…" Charlotte wakes up. "What happened? Why did you have to fire a shot in the early morning?"

"Well, it's…"

"Miss Orleans! Are you in there?" Someone's knocking on the door, rather hurriedly. I walk to the door and open it, and end up being knocked by one right to the head.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir!" Luckily the hit is not hard, so I'm not moved. Turns out it's a maid. "Wait, why are you in miss Orleans' room?" "Does that matter more than what you're about to tell her?" She then realizes it and starts speaking: "The Captain said that the prisoners have escaped! Someone has broken them out!"

… Do you think that's Deadpool's work?

Not a chance. He's a mercenary, and I'm sure I could pay something more value than just money for him.

Like a proper date with his Death?

Precisely. Without Thanos interfering.

That sounds like a great deal. For him.

"Someone has broken Joseph and Sheffield out?" Charlotte walks up to me and asks the maid.

She nods. "Yes, miss Orleans. I thought they might head to your room…And why is he here?" She looks at me, a bit of suspicious in her eyes.

Charlotte answers: "He's my boyfriend."

The maid looks at Charlotte, then back at me, and then bows: "I'm sorry sir…"

I interrupt her: "No need to. You did nothing wrong. But, don't call me sir please. That makes me old."

Charlotte smiles: "You're at least thirty years older than her, sir Kuro." I sigh, but smile and kiss her forehead. "I know, Charlotte." I turn to the maid. "Do you know where's Aqua, sorry, I mean Marietta?" "Madam Orleans, sir?" I nod. "She's sin the meeting room with some of the Nobles." "Thank you. You can continue your work." She nods and then runs away.

Charlotte pulls my sleeve to get my attention. "What're we going to do now?"

"Well, first, dressing you up…" I pinch her cheek, causing her to squeak cutely. "Then we meet your mother to see what happened. And then maybe something to eat." She nods and I walk out of the room, close the door. Reasons? Too obvious to you all.

* * *

"So some assassins snuck in and broke them out, without making a sound?" I look at the Captain, which he nods in shame. "Don't worry, I won't blame you. But I want you to find out who's the one doing so." The Captain salutes and starts walking out of the meeting room. I turn to Aqua and frown. "Next time, I'm not listening to your advice." "That, or my daughter will kill you…" Charlotte uses her staff to knock lightly on my head to confirm her statement. I hang my head down in defeat. "Damn it."

"Watch your mouth, commoner. You're standing between Nobles here." An arrogant Noble speaks to me. Among the ones that want Aqua to return, some of them are not happy with that. And me being here with them is an insult to them. "And you're not worried that the King, who you just threw into prison with no reasons, might come back and give you a fate worse than death?"

I fake-yawn. "When Marietta becomes your Queen, Joseph won't be a problem anymore."

He snorts. "Like that's going to happen easily."

"It is, actually." I open the screens, which causes all of the other Nobles to gasp in surprise. "With this, I'm sure you will see that Joseph is not worthy to rule your nation." I play the exact same things I showed Joseph last night. Many Nobles start looking at Aqua with apologetic looks, while the others just have their jaws hung out.

Once I turn off the screens, the Nobles start shouting in protest, not at Aqua but at Joseph. Aqua slams her hand on the table, silencing them all. "I know you're having different opinions now, but you need to calm down first. That's the truth, and I want you to see what kind of person Joseph is."

One Noble speaks up: "If the whole thing is the truth, then I will gladly have you as our new Queen! There's no way we would let Joseph hold the power here."

Another follows up: "You and Charles have been always the better side of this cold war. You have our full support here!" The others nod in agreement. Glad this come out good.

But then… "May I ask, is there anything we need to do before she could be your new Queen?"

The arrogant Noble, still doesn't like me since he thinks I'm just a commoner, answers: "Why should we tell you, commoner? Even if we tell you, you wouldn't understand."

The first one asks him: "You forgot what he did? I don't believe he's a commoner…"

"Don't you see how he's wearing right now? That's an outfit for a commoner, and you know it."

I decide to turn into Hybrid Heart, and again, the Nobles push themselves away from me in surprise. I turn to the arrogant Noble, who's shaking and dripping in his sweats. "Don't judge a book by its cover, Noble. I know a lot of 'commoners' who are actually better than you." I turn back to my normal self after that. I turn to Aqua. "Better re-check the Nobles. Pick the right ones for the jobs. I'm not interfering in that." She nods.

"For your question, sir…" One of the Nobles recovers. "Either the current King is dead, or a vote from the Nobles…"

I pinch my nose bridge. In this case…

"Sounds like my job! Can I do it?" Deadpool teleports after me, and…repetition.

"I really don't want to but… do as you want, Deadpool…"

"And my payment?"

I raise my eyebrows. "Though we have talked about it?"

"Then it's settled. Bye for now!" He disappears, again.

Everyone looks at me with disbelief and… curiosity. I wave my hands. "He's a mercenary. He would do anything with a fair price." I receive nods.

Aqua: "Should we just let him do that?"

I shrug. "Let him do his things. Besides, he's not created by my power, so I can't really do anything. And…" HEY, IS IT THE TIME TO END THE CHAPTER? That's…my line, Deadpool.

* * *

 **Chapter 15 end!**

 **Yep, Deadpool is in my stories now. And he WILL appear more, and he can interact more with the world than T.O...**

 **Deadpool: You heard that, T.O? Your Creator approves my better position than you.**

 _ **Don't need to tell me. I know when I'm needed. Some situations are definitely not for you.**_

 **Deadpool: Like what?**

 _ **Dealing with younger audiences.**_

 **Deadpool: You mean the PG-13 limits from Creator? Psst, he will change it in the future.**

 _ **You know him, and me, AND Kuro.**_

 **Deadpool: ...Damn, you got me there.**

 **That aside... I'm not letting that Jormungand appear in my story. That thing's first appearance is...bleh.**

 **And I'm going to use more jokes, for sure...**

 **See you all in the next chapters everyone!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: If you forget, I own only my OCs and my stories. What you know is not mine.**

 **Another chapter out...and I'm running out of ideas for this story. So, I might end this story in the next chapter, and an epilogue chapter. Sorry for anyone who wants to see more characters in my story.**

 **No new reviews? A little sad, but I'll live.**

 **Enjoy chapter 16 everyone!**

* * *

Saito's POV

"So Kuro won't come back any time soon?"

T.O: "I'm afraid so. He will help Aqua and Charlotte regaining their nation back before Charlotte could return here."

Louise: "So we're on our own this time?"

T.O: "Seems so. At least we have two elves to help us in this."

Our group has gathered inside Kuro's house to make up the plan. Right now, our group consists of me and Louise, Kirche and Flame, Malthida and Tiffania, Sasha and Julio, and Wardes. Guiche will stay behind, in case if the Academy is attacked, he will lead the boys to protect it. We thought of calling Agnes to go with us as well, however, after a few discussions, we decided not to and let her protect the Royalists. We can't really fight the elves with our current force. Sure, I and Malthida can deal with them, but the others might not be able to. And if we're unfortunate enough, we won't have a Bidashal to help us out of that.

Derf speaks up: "We have two Gandalfr with us, both of which have experiences for this kind of deal. Even if the other elves have numbers…"

"We still need to be careful. We won't hear the end from Kuro if he knows we get hurt because of being careless."

Kirche then puts a bottle on the table. "My father gave me this, saying T.O might recognize it. Can you check what this is?"

T.O picks it up and examines the bottle. Then, T.O smiles: "Phoenix's essence…" He then gives it back to Kirche. "You better keep it with you all the time. It will definitely save someone's life in the brink of death."

I raise my eyebrows. "Kuro won't like that sound…"

T.O shrugs: "I never said which one's life, right?" Don't trigger death flags, dude. "Wardes, in this mission, you don't need the mask, but if you feel comfortable, you can keep it up."

Wardes, without mask, says: "I would say to leave the mask. I know I'm still not forgiven, but at least they will know I'm trying to do good again."

Louise then asks T.O: "Can we ask someone from Gamindustri to help us? The more our force is, the safer we are, right?"

T.O crosses his arms and leans to his chair. "Let me think if there's someone that's free for us to ask for help…"

"What about the Old Makers?"

T.O: "Kuro won't like…wait a second, where's Big Neptune?"

I blink. Yeah, where is she? I pull out my phone (N-Gear sometimes is a bit too overkill) and dial Big Neptune's number. After a while…

"SAITO! HELP!" For real?

"Where are you, Neptune?" I'm not really scared of her being hurt actually. Her luck stat is way too high for that.

"I'm being chased by dudes that look like Tiffania and Sasha! They tried to kill me here!" Then the call cuts short, probably Neptune has to turn it off to focus on running away.

I sigh and pocket my phone. I turn to Louise: "Louise, can you open a portal at Neptune's location? It seems she somehow has traveled to the Holy Land already."

Julio shows a little concern: "You're a bit too carefree about this. Won't she be hurt right now?"

I dismiss it. "Knowing Neptune, she would get out of troubles with no scratches. But, we better not push it further." All of us nod and stand up, while T.O just vanishes away. Louise then opens the portal, that would locate near Neptune's place. We ready ourselves and walk through it…

* * *

And we're greeted by pure yellow. I look around to see sand. Lots, lots of sand. And an oasis in the middle of it. Hmm, I thought the Holy Land would be in a cold place and covered in a forest, but in the middle of the desert? And why the hell could Neptune strand to here?

Flame then turns his head to a direction and growls. I turn the same way, and feel a magic source coming from there. Not very high, but the magic itself is pure… Then, more appear around us… We're standing inside of an ambush, but the attackers haven't attacked yet, probably because of our too sudden appearance, and we're already in a bit of disadvantages here.

'Everyone, prepare your weapons, we're compromised.' The others get the message and pull out their weapons, while I summon my katana. My left hand shines in blue, indicating an ice spell I'm backing up. Every second matters.

 _Ice?_

My ice is cold enough to withstand for a few seconds, and that's all I need. And…is this the reason why Charlotte and Kuro are not helping us here?

 _Actually no. The Creator did think the same as you about this place's location, only to find out his assumptions were wrong._

It's a flaw for him, isn't it?

 _Yeah. But it would make him different than the other Creators._

True enough.

'Move on my mark. Sasha, Wardes, you deal with the north force. Kirche, Louise, Flame, the East side. Malthida, Tiffania, Julio you will…' "HELP!" I turn to Neptune's voice, which's from the South. 'You three take care of the West, I will help Neptune.' I receive agreements from the others. 'Okay…Let's go!'

We immediately break out and running towards the assigned directions. I create an ice board and start surfing with it. Sounds farfetched, however, with some mana to keep it intact, it's doable. It takes me about fifteen seconds or so to clearly see Neptune, and I see who her pursuers are. We're in the Holy Land, so obviously we would encounter elves in no time…

I didn't expect them to chase Neptune on Dragons' backs though. And how can she still outrun them to this point?

I shake those thoughts out of my head, and channel magic into my katana. Instantly it's covered in red hot fire, and I swing it to one of the dragons, releasing a fire slash. It hits, causing the dragon to stop and roar in pain. Neptune, upon realizing I'm nearby, momentarily turns back and shoots a shot to another one and then continues her run. One of the elves notices me approaching, as he orders his dragon to head to me first. He then casts a spell that makes the sands around me fly up, making a temporary distraction. I cover my face and just surf through it, but when I'm out of it, that person already calls out a few solidified-sand spears and throws them to me. Some of them manages to find the target, me, but I use my katana to knock them away before they could reach my body. Then, from inside the sand, a large scorpion burrows up and knocks me off the surfboard. I stumble on my feet and face-plant to the sand, however I instantly stand up and turn to face the creature. That thing would be more or less the same with my current airbus. It screeches and tries to grab me with its pincers, but I dodge all of them with ease due to the fact I've dodged worse. Then I try to chop its head, but with its life being surrounded by heat, its armor is too thick for me to have one success hit. And since I'm not getting grabbed by it, the scorpion is pissed and uses its sting to try to pin me. One strike forces me to block it, and I have to make another iceboard below my feet become solid so that I won't sink into the bottomless desert, but it won't hold for long. I need to figure out a way to…

Then the force becomes weaker, as I see the creature to see that it's shrinking. Then, with a light covering it, it's no more. Replacing it is Neptune, with her Nep-note holding in hands. Forgot that thing exists.

"Oh-ho! Another one!" She cheers happily, temporarily forgets that she's being chased. Still cheerful as ever…

*Smash!* One elf tries to drive his dragon down to Neptune, but I call out a column of ice to block it. After realizing she's still in danger, Neptune runs to me instantly.

"Thanks for the help Saito!" "Better get out of here first, we're not out of the fire yet." "Yeppy!" We then run to the oasis, so that we might try to take cover there.

'Everyone, how's your doing?'

Julio: 'Not so bad. But we won't last forever. Their magic is annoying.'

Kirche: 'Same here. My fire doesn't do much damage.'

Malthida: 'We're having an advantage here. But, I won't violate Kuro's own rules here. Not now.'

'It's good enough. Retreat to the oasis, I got Neptune. Also Malthida, what's your advantage?'

'Take a guess.' Then, I see a few golems, easily the size of the Titans from SnK, raising up and blocking all the spells the elves are firing at them. Right, she's an Earth mage.

'Good enough to me. Let's go.'

* * *

We manage to find each others near the lake. The elves around, mostly women and children, are scared of us running around, but we don't really take a second look for them. We will talk later, so this moment won't last long.

Louise: "What should we do next now?"

"We might have to push our luck and run to the center of this place and find Bidashal. He's our key for this mission."

Sasha: "He's a researcher, he would go around frequently. Chances are a bit low."

Kirche: "Wait, he said before that he has a niece. Maybe we can find her."

Malthida: "Niece…right. But you forgot that she wants to learn about us 'savages', right?"

"Better that or nothing. Let's go and…"

"Hold it right there human!" We look at the direction to see two elves, one boy and one girl, pointing their swords at us. The woman has her appearance similar to Tiffania, even to the eye color. Then only different is that, she's wearing elves' clothes, and her figure is more developed than her, except that…part, and her expression is not as innocent as Tiffania. The male one has short blonde hair with two tied-up hair strands on both side of his head…no, not short hair, he has his hair tied up behind his back, and turquoise eyes. He's wearing a green outfit underneath an armor plate. "Drop your weapons, or we will use force to make you do so."

Do they really think so? I'm sure you two knew about our fight with the elves out there, and yet, they think they can over-power us? But, better safe than sorry. I, Wardes and Julio take one step forward and put our hands on our weapons, ready to pull them out in case they attack us.

Tiffania suddenly walks forward: "Please stop you two. We're here to mend the relationship between the human and the elves. We're not here to hurt you."

The male: "You have a Void mage with you…" He points to Louise. "And all of the Void mages like damn Brimir are all bad guys. Even the guy that Bidashal's working with…"

Kirche interrupts: "Bidashal? He hasn't come back yet?"

The female glares at her: "What do you know my uncle?" Yep, manipulating mind at its finest, Creator. Thanks for that.

Kirche: "We met him a while back ago, and he said that he wouldn't work with Joseph anymore. But then, he hasn't come back here?"

The male's left hand starts glowing. "How did you even know who he's working for?"

Wardes speaks up: "It's me. I have worked with him before. But now both of us have turned our back to the Gallia king already."

The female's weapon's not moving, but she's having doubts in her eyes. I decide to sheathe my katana and hold my hands up. "Look, we're here for what Tiffania just said. If our sudden appearance startled you all, then we apologize."

The duo looks at each other, trying to think a solution for this…

"Luctiana, Ari, that's enough. Put your weapons down." From the sky, a dragon descends down, and Bidashal jumps out of its back. The female's face then brightens up, as she gives the sword to the male, and runs and hugs the older elf.

"Uncle, you're back! Why have you gone for so long?"

Bidashal sighs: "Sorry about it. I have some unfinished business with the former King." Former king…

"What happened to Joseph, may I ask?"

He looks at me, observing a bit before saying: "I take it you're T.O's friends?" T.O, not Kuro? Oh right, the one rescuing Aqua was actually T.O.

"Yes, we are."

He nods, and turns to the two elves. "Can you two go and find the leaders, and tell them we're having a meeting a few hours later?"

The male asks in surprise: "What about these human? You can't tell us to go away and deal with them alone…"

Bidashal: "Trust me, they're here for better cause. Now, go." The duo reluctantly nods and walks away. He turns to us. "You should just wait for me to ask you to come. The others are not very happy to see one human, much less a group here."

Everyone takes back their weapons, as Tiffania speaks: "Yes, but we're worried that our friend here might get killed, so we had to hurry."

Bidashal raises his eyebrow: "Kill? Human shouldn't even be able to find this place."

I twitch my eyes, since I know who could do that. "Croire, was that your work?"

"Obviously! That's for her treating to me so badly." Her voice comes out of the Nep-note. Neptune raises it up and starts arguing with her, again. I sigh. "Sorry Bidashal about this."

Bidashal shakes his head. "Don't worry. At least none of us are killed. By the way…" He turns to Tiffania. "You're the half-elf from before right? How have you been?"

Tiffania pulls out her cover. Oh, right, T.O told Sasha and Tiffania to cover their heads until they're found out. Is there a particular reason for that? "It's been great. I have more friends to talk with, and I'm not in danger of any kinds."

Bidashal: "Seems T.O held up his promises."

"Actually it's not T.O. It's Kuro." He turns to me. "Although, Kuro and T.O are two of the same person, so T.O is not entirely wrong either."

Wardes asks: "You said you had unfinished business with Joseph. What is it?"

Bidashal: "I need to delete every research I have worked for him, so that he won't get any more of the Firestones and a few more things. That's why it took me to this time to go back here."

Malthida crosses her arms: "That much for you to do?"

Bidashal: "Need to deal with the guards, and the locks I didn't make myself."

Sasha: "Seems like this Joseph won't let his works go to waste, huh?"

Bidashal looks at Sasha, still with her cover on, then turns to Malthida: "May I ask why…"

"It's a surprise. You will know later." Bidashal nods, and gestures us to follow him as he walks away, and we comply.

He leads us to a house, which I guess it's his house. It's full of books and scrolls, and it has a nice view to the lake. Nice choice, Bidashal. And…it looks more like a modern day's house, without electricity.

Sasha looks around the house, then says: "The cultures haven't changed much…"

"In which way?"

"The way we live."

Bidashal haven't heard it since she said in a low voice.

Louise curiously picks a book up and tries to read it. Bidashal looks at her and says: "Don't try to read it, miss Void mage. It's written in our language. Normal human can't read…"

"The betrayal elf…" He stops speaking. "The story about the one who turned her back against her own race, and worked with the ones her race is despite of." Louise turns a few pages, as Kirche and Tiffania walks closer to her. "Then one day, she suddenly vanished, never be heard again. It happened at the same time, the one she worked with was killed. No one knew who killed him, but… they believed the betrayer did one thing right, to make amends for what she had done." She puts the book back where it belongs to. "It's one part of the story about Brimir and his familiar, isn't it?"

Bidashal just stands there, eyes widen when Louise read the book out loud. I pick another book and try to read, and yeah, I can read it as well. After a few seconds, Bidashal manages to find his voice back: "H…How did you…"

Sasha answers: "I think it's because they're Kuro's citizens, that they have a language translator in them."

Bidashal turns to her. "Lang…what is that?"

"Basically…" I put the book away. "Most of us have a passive spell that lets us know nearly all languages when we need to understand. It's pretty convenience in many points."

Bidashal stands like a statue for a whole minute because of the information. Tiffania has to come over and shakes him out of his daze. Then, he just walks away without saying a word.

Malthida leans to me. "We broke him, didn't we?"

"Seems so."

Malthida: "Tiffania, can you go and check on Bidashal?" She nods and walks to Bidashal's direction. During that, we just pick up and read some more books and scrolls. Lots and lots of researches and stories. He and his niece sure have dug a lot around.

Wardes and Julio try to read as well, but fail. Julio sighs: "You guys have this advantage, a bit unfair you know?"

"Sorry about it, but that's Kuro's work, not ours. If there's anyone to blame, you can blame him."

Wardes: "What are we going to do next?"

"Probably waiting for something to happen, I don't know."

"Where is my uncle, human?" The girl, Bidashal's niece, has turned back along with the boy, she's looking at us suspiciously. "And don't just touch our properties without permission like that."

Neptune just brings up her bright smile. "Don't need to be so uptight like that. We're friends here, right?"

The boy growls: "We're not. And where's Bidashal?"

I point my thumb to where Bidashal is. "He's in there, probably shocked for what we have said."

The girl: "What…did…you…say to him?"

"Just ask him. He'll answer." The duo then walks in the room. We wait for a few more minutes before all of them walk out with a tray of cups. Yeah, story time.

After everyone has taken a seat, Bidashal asks his niece: "Luctiana, what are things going so far? Have you talked with the leaders with Ari?"

She nods: "Yes. But the leaders weren't very happy about your decisions, you know. Half of them still thinks that the human is bad."

Bidashal: "And that's why they're here, to clear their sins." He turns to me. "By the way, where's T.O? Shouldn't he be with you?"

I shake my head. "There's no reasons to do so. We're strong enough, so T.O won't have to stay with us. Though, he might go around if things suddenly turn to bad."

Ari is staring at Sasha. "Why doesn't she take off her hood?"

Malthida answers: "It's one of our friends' idea, saying she would only pull them out when it's time."

Luctiana: "And when is it the right time?"

Louise: "We're not sure. T.O and Kuro are both unpredictable, but if my guess is right, it'll be in the meeting."

Luctiana: "Right. And…" She turns to Tiffania. "How long have you been stayed with human? Did they treat you well? Did they harass you because you're an elf?"

She shakes her head. "No, they're my friends. They have helped me a lot, and protect me while I'm staying with them. I have lived alone in the forest for a while, and just a month ago have I started living among the others."

Ari: "Why did you even live in there?"

Luctiana: "She's a half-elf, Ari." He says no more, his face shows that he understands what's going on. "Anyway…What's up with that?"

All of us has a question mark on our head. "What do you mean?"

Luctiana raises both her hands and points to Kirche and Tiffania. "How did human even manage to have that body part that's so large? Even our prettiest elf isn't anywhere near yours."

… Sorry, but dealing with this logic is not my specialty.

Kirche smirks: "Our 'savages', as you call us, have our secrets, we won't spill it out that easy." Don't play with her like that.

Louise pulls out her wand and whacks on Kirche's head, then apologizes Luctiana: "Sorry for her attitude. But we don't have anything to do with that. It's just our nature, well, their natures." She glares at Kirche, who's having a smug face.

"That aside, I heard from T.O that you're interested in our cultures and stuffs, but can you leave it in the future? Right now, can you tell us about the opinions of yours about us?"

Luctiana: "Meaning?"

"The elves' opinions about us human."

Luctiana: "It's complicated. Half of us think that we should cooperate with you, while the other half want you to be eradicated. They're in each other's throat now."

Malthida: "And that's where we're going in. Our nations' leaders have made an agreement about a peaceful treaty with you all. All we need now is the last nation to be at the same side. We're here to ask for your leaders to come to one of our palaces to have a meeting with the human leaders."

Ari leans back to his chair. "How can we be sure that you don't have any other motives? For all we know, you could be spies from one nation that tries to…"

"We are in a mix here. This girl…" I point to Louise. "She's from a nation called Tristain. She…" Kirche. "is from Germania. Tiffania here is from Albion, and Julio is from Romalia. We don't have a Gallian right now, due to the fact that they're dealing with inner political problems. But we will keep in touch with them soon."

Bidashal: "Sounds reasonable. Joseph won't let us execute this plan easily. So the girls from Gallia are…"

"They have departed from last night, but we haven't heard from them since then. But I could be sure that Joseph will lose his place soon."

Wardes asks me: "Shouldn't you call them now? You know, for safety reasons?"

"While I admit Kuro's luck isn't as high as Neptune, he never messes around when it comes to protecting people's life. As long as he's around, his group is safe."

Luctiana: "Is this guy that confident?"

Louise: "You don't know the half of it. He himself could blast down the whole army, even yours, without a problem. And he could appear at anywhere, anytime without anyone noticing."

Bidashal: "That sounds awfully like T.O."

"Both of them are the same person, with different roles in the universe. We will talk more after the meeting, maybe."

Tiffania: "Why don't you tell us a bit about your cultures?"

Luctiana raises her eyebrows. "You're a half-elf, and yet you don't know…" She receives a cold glare from Malthida. "Her parents were…not around when she needed them." Luctiana realizes what she means, as she hangs her head down in shame. "Sorry for asking that question." "Don't worry, you didn't know."

* * *

While they talk some more, I excuse myself to stand up and walk to the balcony. I look at the area around, people walking, talking and working, just like how us human runs our daily life. And yet, just because of some jealousy, Brimir convinced everyone that the elves were abnormalities… and nearly wiped out said race. And after 6000 years, we, the ones who's not from this planet in the first place, will be the ones to fix this world's problems.

"Hey, you there." The male elf, Ari, walks out to me from behind. "You're Saito, right? What are you doing out here?"

"Just need some fresh air. And…think about what would happen next after we go."

"Where could you go after this?"

"We will return back to where we're from. Another universe."

"Hmm. Another universe, you say. Like I would believe you."

"It's the truth. You want to believe or not, your choice."

"Not until you give out an evidence for it." I turn back and pull out my N-Gear and give it to him. He turns it around and looks at it, curiosity on his face. "What's this?" "A communicate device from our world. Before Kuro modified them all, it can only help us to call each other in our universe. Now, it can even reach to another plane of existence, as long as there's one for each side." "Prove it." He gives it back to me, and I dial up Malthida's number. Once the connection's up, the N-Gear shows up a floating screen, that makes Ari step back in surprise. Then, the static becomes clear for us to see the living room, where the rest are sitting in.

Malthida asks me: "Why are you calling me through this? I thought you're just at the balcony."

"Mister Elf here doesn't believe that we're from another world, so I showed this to him."

Louise sighs, before Luctiana's face shows up on the screen. "Hey Ari! Can you see me? I can see you two very clearly!" Due to the fact she's shouting, I can hear the voice from the call and her voice from the inside. Ari is so shocked, that he runs back to the inside and checks if everything's real.

Bidashal pokes the screen in interest. "Fascinating. I know that you're from another world, but this is just…"

Luctiana pouts: "Uncle, you knew about this and you didn't tell me?"

Bidashal: "Sorry dear, but I only knew it recently."

"How about I close the call and come in?"

Malthida waves her hands before her. "No need to. Just stay out there if you want to." I shrug.

Wardes is also awe of the screen, but hasn't said anything yet. Neptune decides to…

"What are you doing, Neptune?"

She pulls out a marker and starts drawing on the screen. I decide to wait for her to see what she's making. During the drawing, I see that the girls are giggling/chuckling, Julio and Wardes just shake their heads in amusement, Bidashal and Ari just deadpan. Yeah, she's making fun of me for sure. The funny thing about the N-Gear is that, the other side can do whatever on the screen without this side knowing what the person's doing. Don't know why Kuro applied that in.

And he also applied many other things in, including opening another screen to see what's behind the user, through the other side's view. So, I open that screen up, to see…me, having comically black glasses, black beard and dog ears. Neptune's idea or yours? Not mine, I'm sure. If I want to, I would put the real thing on you. Yeah, that would be the case.

"All done!" Neptune smiles brightly and steps back, looking satisfied at what she has done. I sigh, Neptune being Neptune. "Now, just take this picture and upload it to…" I wipe my hand to clear the drawing away, as she begins to wince in protest. "Why did you do that?"

"You can ask the Creator for it back." She lightens up again. "Right! He has the HD version!"

"Okay, in seriousness, when does the meeting start?"

Ari: "About an hour or so. They want to deal with this before midday."

Sasha: "Then we should better get ourselves ready. The elf leaders don't like waiting for anyone, especially human."

Luctiana looks at Sasha suspiciously: "You sure know about our leaders much."

Sasha: "My leaders before were the same."

Bidashal: "Your leaders?"

Sasha: "I will tell you later."

* * *

"You human better have a good excuse for entering our sacred land without permission like that." One of the High-leaders asks us with his high authority voice. We're standing in the middle of the courtroom, with Sasha still covering herself up, and Tiffania is the same. From what I can see, there are two sides here: one wants to have peaceful conversations with us, the other is the opposite.

Wardes speaks up, since he's 'currently' the oldest one: "We have planned to ask for your permission to come here. However, one of our friends was attacked by your force, so we had to push all the plans aside to save her."

"She appeared from nowhere, and she's trying to capture our creatures…"

Wardes: "And that, we apologize. She's a traveler, and a collector. Anything catches her interest, she will try to have it. If that offenses you all, then…"

"Speak no more." The leader stops him, and he complies. After a brief moment, he speaks: "Luckily she hasn't managed to capture one, so she can walk away. But be warned, another time like that, and she will face our punishment."

Wardes nods: "Of course sir. We will remember."

"Now, with that problem solved…You were saying you have planned to come here. What's your reason to do so?"

Wardes: "We want to ask you to discuss with the human leaders about the peace treat between our races."

And the opposite side instantly roars in disagreement, while the peaceful side starts whispering with each other about our motivation to come here.

"Silence!" The high-leader shouts, shutting everyone up. He then turns to Wardes. "Why do you think we will do so? It's true we have thought about it, but you know about our war from 6000 years ago…"

Wardes: "That's why our current leaders want to restart everything up with you. Brimir…"

"Don't…you…dare…saying that name…" It seems every elf here is not comfortable with that name.

Wardes bows: "My apology. The first Void mage had made a grave mistake, and he has led us to the wrong paths. Now, the current leaders have realized that, and they want to undo everything that person has done."

High-leader narrows his eyes. "How could we know you have changed? For all we know, you're faking everything."

Tiffania now walks forwards and reveals her identity, which makes the elves widen their eyes in surprise. "Dear everyone, my name is Tiffania, a half-elf. I will be the prove that the human has indeed changed."

The high-leader is the first one to recover, as he asks her: "You're a half-elf. So which one is ours?"

Tiffania: "My mother is an elf. However, if you want to meet her, then I'm afraid you're a bit too late."

He nods in sympathy: "I'm sorry for your lost. But, may I ask if…"

"Sir…" Tiffania interrupts him. "The past is the past now. What happened that time, I have dealt with it. We only need to focus on the present, and the future for our races."

The high-leader looks closely at Tiffania, then says: "May I ask, how old are you? I know I'm a bit rude here, but for someone your age to say that sentence…"

Tiffania blushes a bit. "It's not actually my saying, but a friend of mine. He's currently not with us right now."

"Then, may I ask where he is?"

I step forward. "Sir, we can contact him now. However, what we are going to do doesn't possess any threats, even if it's a strange thing to you. So I have to tell you to not be alarmed."

The elves murmur to each other, as the high-leader observes me. "Do what you need to do, but, once we know that it's dangerous..."

"You have my words for it." I pull out the N-Gear and dial Kuro's number, and the floating screen appears before me. The elves are surprised by it, as they lean closer to see what it is. After a few seconds, the screen shows that the call has been through, and it flicks up.

"Can you call me at a better time, Saito? I'm a bit busy here." Kuro appears, although he isn't looking at the screen, but rather something else.

"What are you doing, Kuro?" The elves are astonished at the device now.

"We just found out where Joseph is. At least, the last place he lived."

"Lived?"

Kuro: "Apparently he was killed while running away from me. Brutally cuts on his body, losing parts here and there. Not a good sight to see."

Malthida: "Can you at least spare a few minutes for us? We're already at the Holy Land now."

"Hmm?" He looks at us, then the screen spins around the room. "Oh? You're already there?"

Julio: "A bit of changes in the plans, but we're here."

"I see." Kuro then turns to the high-leader. "You must be one of the rulers here. My name is Kuro, and good morning to you, sir."

The high-leader, after a brief moment of silence, answers him back: "Good morning to you, human. May I ask who are you? I'm not talking about your name, but rather your current work."

Kuro scratches his head: "Eh…I'm just a protector of the Gallia's princess. Nothing too much."

I deadpan. That's true, but that's a lame answer.

Bidashal asks him: "You're Kuro, right? Do you have anything related to T.O?"

The high-leader looks at Bidashal. "What kind of name is T.O, Bidashal?" "It's his alias. He doesn't have a name." "We might hate human, but all beings should have a name. A person without a name is…"

"He and I are the same." Kuro interrupts their conversation. "Although, he's more of the back line. I will be the one interacting with you the most."

Malthida sighs: "Just say it. They already have enough mysteries to deal with."

Kuro: "Sorry, I'm being distracted here. Death, can you take care of this for me for a while?" A background 'okay!' can be heard, as Kuro walks to somewhere else. "Okay, back to this. If you want to know…"

"Hold on for a second." The high-leader interrupts him. "Did you just call someone 'Death'?"

"Yeah, why?" The elves start whispering to each other, again.

"You're awfully calm when you talk with her. She's the God of…"

"Yeah, I know. You don't have to tell me twice."

His eyes twitch at how disrespect Kuro is towards the ultimate God. Can't blame the leader, he's not talking to a normal person here.

"High-leader…" Tiffania speaks up. "Please forgive his attitude. He's not exactly the same like us all."

He turns to her. "How much different is he to you, to us?"

"He's pretty much as powerful as Death, even more."

That causes an uproar from the elves, saying that we're lying. Kuro has already turned his attention towards Joseph's body, that he hasn't heard this.

"SILENCE!" The high-leader shouts again. Then he turns to me. "You are expecting me to believe that a mere human can be more powerful than the God of Hell himself?"

I put my index finger up. "One, Kuro's no longer a human, so don't expect him to be one." I raise my middle one. "And second, Death is not a male."

Bidashal now is having doubts on us, as he asks Malthida: "Is this man saying the truth?"

"As ridiculous as it sounds, yes. We have met as well and…she's not exactly how we saw her in our minds."

The high-leader: "How so?"

"Hey, Kuro! They're doubting my abilities!" Death, in her human form, is wincing in front of the screen. We focus back to the screen, which has floated up to the ceiling behind the high-leader. Kuro then walks back to the screen and pats her. "Well, they haven't met you before, so doubting is always there."

"Human…" The high-leader and the elves are extremely angry now. "How dare you make fun before us like that…"

Kuro: "Oh…Sorry, forgetting you're having a serious meeting. I'm not a fan for that."

Before things get worse: "Hey Kuro! Why don't you just come here now? It's easier that way."

"Eh…" Kuro turns to his right side. "Hey Captain, is everything under control now?" Someone answers him. He turns back to me. "I will be there in a second, so…"

"And make sure you two use your last form." T.O, again, appears out of nowhere. Luckily, Bidashal recognizes him, and orders everyone to stand down.

Bidashal asks T.O: "Where have you been? Why didn't you just stay with the group?"

T.O: "My role is only important in some points."

Kuro asks: "Are you sure that we should do that?" Death also tilts her head in curiosity.

T.O: "I'm sure. Creator asked me to tell you that. Although, he said that while hiccupping."

Kuro deadpans: "What?"

T.O: "Nothing important. Just come."

"Hiccupping?"

T.O turns to me. "He's drunk when he gave me the order." Really?

Kuro shrugs. "If he said so…" Then he crosses his arms towards, his hands are facing the screen. Then he makes the gesture of opening a sliding door…

And the screen is torn into two, and Kuro appears in the air as Hybrid Heart in Jesus pose, his wings spreading wide behind him, and Death in her true form floating behind him with her scythe in hands. They're giving Aura that could scare literally everyone here with just mere sight, as the elves, from anger to surprise and fear, start kneeling before the two. The two slowly descend down, and the Aura starts spreading on the ground and to us. T.O just manipulates it to go around us and float to elsewhere.

Kuro walks slowly to the high-leader, who's still bowing before him in fear. "Mister High-leader, look up." He does as Kuro says. "I'm here not for you all to bow to me. To you, I'm nothing but a wanderer, trying to help people. You don't need to bow before me like that."

"But…but…you are…you are a…" The leader can't find the words, as he's still overwhelmed by his power.

Kuro sighs. "Look, you can think who I am however you want, I don't care. Right now, I just want you all to stop bowing to me first. It's uncomfortable. And if you want to show me respect, do it quick." The elves nod constantly and start positioning themselves back.

"Now, about myself. As you have known, I'm no longer human. In this form, you can either use my name Kuro, or you can call me Hybrid Heart. My purpose here is to mend the relationship between the human and the elf. Of course, I need to show you that the human has changed, and that we truly want to do so. For that, during the time we arrived here, I have gathered the leaders of the human nations, and helped them realizing what's going on. Once I have done with all of it, I has planned to make a call to you, but…it seems my friends have executed it without my knowledge. I won't blame them though, since they have made things easier actually."

He then looks at Sasha, then back to the high-leader. "I had a feeling that elves hated human because of what happened 6000 years ago, but I have to ask to make sure: Is there another reason before it happened that made you the way you are now?"

The high-leader answers: "No, sir Hybrid Heart." His eyes twitch a bit, probably because of the word 'sir'. "Before that, we just ignored the human since we saw them only as 'savages' and they possessed no threats to us. However, after that vile person tried to wipe us out, along with one of our people…"

"You mean his familiar? The elf familiar?" The high-leader and the other elves are surprised that he knows. "Yes. But, none of the human history ever recorded about that. How did you know sir?"

Kuro looks back to Sasha. "It's time to show them." She nods and pulls out her cover, which makes her elf ears appears to the whole room to see. Now everyone just gasps in surprise, probably because they think that if they shout now, they would disrespect Kuro.

"Now everyone, I think it's time for the truth." All eyes turn to him. "6000 years ago, that vile person, as you said it, was killed, and his familiar disappeared. No one ever found out what happened to the killer and his familiar. This, is where we came in. My friend here, T.O…" He points to T.O, as T.O tips his hat. "Has traveled back to the past, and rescued Sasha from being hunted down by the lunatics that claimed to be his secret protectors. About why…can you speak it for yourself, Sasha?" Everyone now is nearly petrified by the name they haven't heard for thousands of years.

She nods and speaks up: "I have been summoned by Brimir a long time ago. At first, I was extremely angry at him, and tried to get away from him. But, time passed, and I started growing on him. From that point, I thought the human was not as bad as I have thought. But then, when I found out about his plan to use on us… I have plead, have tried to stop him, but, because his jealousy had blinded him… I have no choice but to end his life, resulting in me being chased by the other human. I would have died right there, and the war would be more severe by using my corpse as a reason to kill all of us… Only when he showed up and took me to this time…" She glances at T.O. "And gave me a chance to redeem, a chance that no one could have provided me better than these people… the ones that I could trust again and call friends…"

Everyone is silent after that. Then, Bidashal speaks up: "So… may I ask if…we can trust them like you do? I mean, the other human?"

Sasha shakes her head. "I won't say we trust all of them. As Kuro has said, everyone makes mistakes, even us elves. But, if Kuro gave us a chance, then we should do the same for the human."

The elves have the signs of agreeing with her. Even the ones who opposed the idea before, but some of them still looks hesitated. From our side, we have already experienced this, so we just stand there and wait for the situation to unwrap itself.

The high-leader, after a time of thinking, finally speaks to Kuro: "My Deity, if you truly want it to happen…"

Kuro: "That's your choice." The elves are surprised that Kuro actually gave them a choice. "What I want to achieve here is just clearing all of the misunderstandings between the two races. However, if you still don't want to cooperate with the human, that's fine. But, I will give you another offer to work with another world, where I'm one of the leaders there."

The high-leader asks him back: "Sir Hybrid Heart, while your offer is tempting…if we don't want to work with the human here, why do you think we can do the opposite with your place?"

Kuro: "Not only human lives there, but another being as well. You don't have to worry about being treated differently."

"Another being, sir?"

"Don't worry about such details. They're just people like you all."

The high-leader answers him after a few seconds of thinking: "We need a few days to discuss. I will inform you once we have our decision."

Kuro shrugs. "Take your time. I need to deal with the last human nation anyway." Then he and Death turns back to their human form, as they walk to us. "You're going to stay here, or you're going to return to the Academy?"

Sasha answers: "Maybe I will stay here, as I need to know what changed after those years."

Kuro: "Then, T.O, can you stay here with her?" "Wilco, don't worry." "You all?" "We will return by Louise's World Door." He simply nods.

* * *

T.O's POV

So Sasha will stay here, huh? Any motives after this, Creator? No. I think she needs to know changed things. Like me trying to fix my stupidity. Yeah, understandable.

Kuro then asks: "By the way, why did you come here so early?"

I point to Neptune, as she scratches her head. "Hehe, we accidentally stepped on their land, and they chased me since then."

Kuro facepalms: "Should have seen that coming." He turns serious for a bit. "I'm returning back to Gallia now. After Joseph's death, the nation needs a new nation."

'Hey Kuro?' 'Yeah?' 'You're the responsible one here?' 'Read the previous chapter, T.O.' After a quick check… 'Really? Deadpool? I just got my attention somewhere for a few moments…' 'Deal with it, my friend. We can't do anything here.' 'And… the dialogue between me and Deadpool… it's from the future, isn't it?' Yeah, it's from the future. But near future. You two will meet soon.

"How about Death?"

She salutes and smiles. "I'm anywhere I want!"

Bidashal then walks to me. "We need to talk about this situation. Can you…"

"I'm going to stay, so don't worry." He nods and walks to the high-leader. I look at Saito and Louise. "You all can stay here for a while…"

Louise shakes her head. "I'm afraid we can't do so. We've made the sudden teleportation when we heard Neptune being chased down. We have to return to tell what happened, and continue the rest of the day."

I nod. "That's a shame. You all better be fast." She nods and opens the World Door, as most of the group walk through it.

Sasha then walks to Bidashal and the high-leader. I talk normally with Kuro: "If you need to guess, how long are you going to stay here?"

Kuro: "About… a month or so…making sure Gallia is not influenced by bad guys…"

"Then, after that, are you going to break the familiar contract?"

Kuro looks at the rune, then smiles. "Why should I? I have deleted all of bad things in it, and…it's the thing that connected me and Charlotte in the first place. And a good ally as well." He then rubs Death's hair, which makes her smile.

"Then, about the others…"

Kuro: "I don't see any reasons. If those runes give them only benefits, then let they keep it."

"I understand the logic, but…do you think…"

Kuro: "Besides, those runes look nice, you can call them tattoos."

I sigh. I did think like that as well. "Then, how about the others?"

Kuro: "I have thought about it, and…maybe they will return sooner if they want to. And now they can freely get back and forth, so I currently only have to think for myself."

"True enough. Alright, you can go now, no more questions."

Kuro nods, and then both he and Death disappears. I look at the group of elves to see they're talking something a bit loudly, with some of the others aside from Sasha, Bidashal and the high-leader joining in.

I walk to them and ask: "What's going on here? Why are you so loud?"

Sasha turns to me. "Oh, we're sorry. But we're trying to talk about which decision to take."

The high-leader speaks: "While we're not very fond of the human, they did make a lot of progresses during these years. Which, I have to ask you, what are you?"

I shrug. "Basically, I'm Kuro. However, our roles are different. About strength though, I'm more about using magic to deal with problems."

One of the elves looks at me suspiciously. "Are you just another human who tries to mimic the Deity?" Not letting him speaking anymore words, I flick my fingers to change the scenery inside of the room. The first is right above the large lake of the land, just a few thousand feet in the air. Just a few thousand feet, my readers. Then, the Capitals of the human nations, then to the overview scene of Gamindustri. And, deciding to be a prick, Hell. Which, I have to admit, I haven't never seen it before, I just know there is. And when I take a quick look, this place is…not very pleasant. At least it's not too much gore here, otherwise Kuro would never step down there, unless he has business in Hell.

Seeing that the elves are scared to death now (no puns intended), I snap my finger to turn the room back to normal. The elves now look at me with fear in their eyes, knowing that I'm another being that they shouldn't mess around with.

Except Bidashal and Sasha, since they already knew beforehand.

I break the silence: "Bidashal told me to give you a suggestion. Well, I think you should sign that treat of peace with the human. Kuro's world is drastically different than this world, and he can't really balance the two worlds into a perfect shape."

The high-leader raises his eyebrow: "Why can't he?"

"Do you except the Deity of Hell to fix your culture or your environment problems?" He thinks a bit then shakes his head. "Yep, that's the reason. Anyway, Kuro himself is fixing the last nation, and with that done, the human won't see you as your enemies anymore. Well, most of them."

Bidashal suddenly remembers: "Wait, how many Void mages are left now? Joseph is dead, right?"

I count on my fingers. "Louise, Tiffania… Vittorio… I think it's 3. Does Joseph have kids? It's not possible, right?"

Bidashal: "I think so. Aside from his familiar, I haven't seen any other women around him."

Sasha: "Do you think the familiar still live?"

That perks my interest. "Why do you think like that?"

Sasha: "Well, Kuro only said that they found Joseph, he never said anything about the woman…"

"Probably being captured by the third party. Not sure about it. I will check it in the future." 'We know what happened, Sasha. However, we need to make sure no one knows it.' 'That's why. Okay, I will follow the flow.' "So, do you have anything else to ask about me?"

"Actually we have." Now, another elf speaks up. "You said the Deity is from another world right? I assume it's the world before you showed us Hell?"

I nod. He continues: "How much can you tell us about that land?"

"Hmm…well, the first thing is that, Kuro is not the only Deity, but he's currently the strongest among the others. The other four are also the leaders of their own land. If you remember, Kuro has another title, Hybrid Heart. Here, the others also have it: Purple Heart, Black Heart, White Heart and Green Heart. Their roles are different though: While the others' responsibilities are to protect the lands and their citizens, Kuro's work is to improve their lives and enhancing the technology the other lands provided."

Another elf asks: "What is the name of that world?"

I chuckle: "Gamindustri." I do so because I know I will receive dumbfound looks. "I'm not joking. That's the actual name of that world."

"Who would name…"

"Tell that to the Deities. Their naming is weird…" And I instantly get drown in water. Someone just threw water to me… from above…

"Don't you talk about our skills like that! You and Kuro are twice as bad as us!" I look up to see Neptune's face pouting above me, with Noire, Blanc and Vert there chuckling at my misfortune. The elves are looking up as well with surprise on their face again.

I use my power to wash the water away, as I ask them: "How did you even know where I am to call?"

Noire: "He gave us your location. And it just happened to be when you talked bad behind our back." Really Creator? Out of ideas already!

Bidashal regains his voice as he asks them: "Are you four…the Deities of Gamindustri?"

Vert asks in curiosity: "You know about us?"

The high-leader answers: "Your friend, I assume so, just talked about you earlier…"

Blanc asks me: "What for?"

"Kuro said that, if they don't get along with the human in Halkeginia, then they can ally with Gamindustri."

Neptune speaks in surprise: "What? Kuro wants to connect two worlds…"

Noire: "I thought he doesn't want to get involved?"

"That's his first idea. However, he still has his arms open for that. He doesn't to see conflicts, you know? And…" I move the screen so that we don't have to look up. "It's a bit coincident that we do need to talk about it now. Can you fix the camera please?"

The other side then changes to a normal view, where the four are sitting correctly on their chairs and with Histoire at the one end of the table. Not Histy. "Histoire, a bit surprise that you joined."

Histoire: "I'm just passing by when the girls call you. So, Kuro wants to execute that plan?"

"Only if the elves don't sign the peace treat here."

Histoire: "We don't really see a problem. As long as they're not causing any harm, they're welcomed here. Though, from what I can see here, their technology is nowhere near us. Do you think it's a good idea to let Kuro to offer that?"

I shrug again. "That's up to you all to think about. It's not my interactive area to deal with." Then, I hear a crashing sound from the girls' side. "What happened back there?"

Histoire turns confused, as she looks around her and then answers me: "What happened? There's only us here?"

Hmm? "Sasha, Bidashal, continue your speech, I need to check on something." They nod, and I go to my realm. Then, I open up several screens to see what's going on in Gamindustri. Everything is still normal, until… yeah, no. Let them have their time…

I return back to the room, and Histoire notices my face turns a bit of white and pink. "What happened? Did you find something?"

"I'm not saying anything." That earns me confusion looks from everyone. "Put that aside. If you need something, I will be near the lake." I then teleport myself out of the room.

* * *

When I reach the lake, I instantly take a handful of water and blast it to my face. My God, they have to do so while I'm talking about this world's problems? Can't blame them, but can't they pick a better time?

"Hey, are you okay?" I turn to see an Elf walk to me. She looks curiously at me. "You're a human…"

I shake my hand to dry it. "I'm okay miss. Just came out from the elves' meeting…"

"Oh? You're with the previous human group?"

"You can say something like that."

"Then, the meeting is over?"

"Most parts. They're talking with…my friends about the treatment with the human of this world."

She tilts her head. "This world?"

"When the high-leader speaks to you all, you will understand."

She asks again: "So, do you need any help now?"

Now, this gets me curious. "You're not afraid when you see me…"

She shakes her head. "I'm still a bit of that. However, I can feel that you won't cause harm to us."

"Mother instinct?"

She backs up away. "How did you…"

"Just a little guess. My friend is a protective father, so I understand."

She calms down a bit. "You could say something like that."

"So you're here, T.O." Bidashal appears behind us. We turn around, as the elf lady waves her hand to him. "Having any troubles in your research, Bidashal?"

"Luckily, no. And I even got a lot of more from our friend here."

She turns to me. I wave my hands. "Like I said, you will know in the future." I turn to Bidashal. "Has the talk come smoothly?"

He nods. "Yes. Now, we do need time to speak to all of the elves, otherwise we might enter a cold war."

"May I ask where Sasha's going to stay?"

"Sasha?" Both of us turn to the lady. Bidashal explains to me: "Her bloodline is the closest to Sasha."

"I see. Then…" "Why is Sasha here? She's gone for over 6000 years, why would she come back?" Her voice indicates that she's a bit angry.

"That's my fault particularly. I have gone back to the past and brought her here in this time. That's why she's nowhere to be found during these time."

The lady looks at me in surprise, then exhales in relief. "I thought she just abandoned us like that." She then glares at me. "Then why?" "That, or she's going to be killed by the human back then." She nods now, a bit satisfied at my answer.

Bidashal answers my previous question: "She will stay with Luctiana. My niece likes to speak with her about you all."

"Better asking your own kind rather than the ones in question?" "Safety reasons, as she said it."

The lady then asks me: "What about you? Shouldn't you…"

"I have my own realm to stay. You don't have to worry about me miss." I tip my head for cool points.

Bidashal: "Do you need something else?"

"Not now. Maybe I will return to my realm. If you want to speak with me, just call me." "How?" "Just say my name out. I will know when to meet you." He nods. I then get back to my realm…

* * *

To see Kurome watching a screen, with her face being red. I turn to see what she's watching and…

"Kurome…" I growl tiredly. She yelps in surprise and turns to me, her eyes wandering aimlessly in fear that I found out what she's doing. "Why are you here anyway?"

"Well…" She pokes her index fingers together and turns her head away from me. "Kuro said that I have been a good girl, so he decided to let me stay with you, so that I could have someone to speak with."

I look at her a few more moment, then sigh and sit down. The screen she just watched changes to the area where I just disappeared, to see that Bidashal and the lady are walking back to somewhere. I speak to Kurome: "You can stay here. But, please behave okay?" She nods, still blushing. Wait… Creator. Yeah? Is she going to replace me? Not going to be soon. Remember, she's actually an immortal now, and you're not. You, me, and Kuro. We will eventually go. I see. A preparation? Yes. But don't tell her that. Okay. Besides, it's for my next story. Oh, that one?

"Besides…" I turn to Kurome. "Seeing my other self having a good time with her love…" She's messing with her tie. I understand why. "Even after what she has been gone through, she's still so happy…"

"You forgot about Kuro already?" She turns to me. "Uzume only knows that her citizens were scared of her haywire power, so she's only sad about it. And many of the old people still remembered her. Kuro…he lost nearly everything in a blink of an eye. Luckily the Creator is not cruel to let him fall into despair. But, the point here is, both of them suffered, but they know to find a solution to fix it, and have their moments with their closest anytime they can."

Kurome smiles sadly, and then leans her head on my arm. "Hmm?" "You and Kuro sure know how to be cool, huh?" I smile. "Like you don't. You had your cool moments, even when you're evil, you know?" She punches my chest playfully, as both of us laugh and watch the life of the others flashing before us…

ISN'T THAT ADORABLE? Indeed. ARE YOU GOING TO SHIP THEM TOGETHER? Hmm…not likely. WHY NOT? Don't we have too much couples already? Kuro's own harem is already big enough, Uzume and Schwarz, and the Makers… I might ship them in the future though. Oh and, do you need something else, aside from your date? YOU WERE A BIT CRUEL WHEN THANOS JUST WATCHED ME DATING HIS CRUSH. You don't like it? OF COURSE I DID! I TROLLED HIM SO BAD, HE BLASTED ME RIGHT AWAY AFTER THE DATE! No regrets? OF COURSE NOT. THANKS A LOT BUDDY! No problem.

"Hey, Kurome…" "Yes?" "Should we tell Kuro about this?" "Let him find out on his own. He'll be surprised for sure." "Yeah."

* * *

 **Chapter 16 end!**

 **Yeah, sorry everyone, I haven't planned on how to end the story, so the latest chapters will be extremely sloppy, and I'm sorry about it.**

 **I hope you guys could stick with me till the end of this story, and then to my newer ones. I won't promise anything, but I will see if I could make a change in the way of writing my future stories.**

 **For now, goodbye, and see you in the next chapters!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't think it matters at this point. But oh well. I own only my SI, my OCs and my stories.**

 **Yeah, the last chapter of the main story. Won't be the last chapter, since it's going to be an epilogue chapter to foreshadow my next story. Hope you will stick with me until then, or even to the future.**

 **To RedBurningDragon: Yeah, damnit Neps. But, at least they pushed my plans to go faster.**

 **Enjoy chapter 17, the last main chapter of Past to present, Zero's another world everyone! (And sorry for the 'kind of' misleading title, still needs to work for that).**

* * *

A few days later, Aqua's POV

"You look beautiful today, your Highness."

"I haven't been a Queen yet, you know. I'm going to be one soon, but, it's still early to call me that."

She giggles. "We have to pay our respects to you. You risked everything to save your daughter, and now it paid it well for both you and her. And…" She leans to me. "Who's the lucky guy who's with your daughter? We only found out recently."

"Him? He's my friend."

"Your…friend, madam?" I nod. "But…isn't he a bit too young?"

"He's much older than his look."

Right now, I'm preparing for the announcement of my return, as a Noble and a Queen. The maid is helping me wearing the dress, but honestly, I don't like wearing it. It just limits my movements so much. The most I would wear is like the modern day dress, not those ones…

"Older than his look, madam? From what I heard from the other maids, he acts extremely childish and even gets hit by your daughter multiple times because of that."

"But my daughter smiles every time, so that's fine with him and me. Also, he's the person who saved me from my illness."

The maid then exclaims: "So you…"

"It's not like that. He would never take advantages of that. I told you, right, we're friends. And, my daughter actually confessed to him first."

"Oh…I'm sorry for…"

"I should be the one to apologize. I didn't tell you clearly. By the way, did you see him when you walked here?"

"I didn't. However, I saw a new doll, a bit too realistic one, inside of lady Charlotte's room."

'So he's there, huh?' "Thanks for your information. Now…" I look around me for last check. "I feel this dress a bit too much."

The maid smiles. "No madam, you look great in it."

I sigh. "I hope so. We're finished here." I grab my old wand. "Let us go."

I walk out of the room I'm currently staying in, and head to the balcony where I would see the whole citizens in full view. During that, I greet many Nobles who has been by my husband's side before he's gone. They bow to me in respect, and I return back the same. Then, I see my daughter and Shanghai on her shoulder. The doll waves her hands happily, as I smile and pat both of them. Then, I stand at the balcony, seeing all the citizens cheering for me. This is it. After this, I will truly be the Queen of Gallia, I will be the one the citizens wish and deserve to have. Just like how Kuro has shown up years ago…And the first fight between the Elite Hunter Squad and the new CPU…

* * *

Flashback, Old Gamindustri, Aqua's POV

"What did you say, Terry? We're going to have a new leader?"

"I'm not joking. We will have another one, seems like a new CPU has been created."

"How did Histoire even get enough Share to do so?"

"Maybe it's the new guy's work. He has been helping us a lot during these times."

It's about a year after that guy showed up out of nowhere. From what I heard from Wanda, he single-handedly eliminated the hordes of monsters that attacked the last defend position of Planeptune. Then he just appeared in the other nations and helped us pushing back all threats out of the city areas. After that, he just helped us rebuilding all of the nations back to normal, while protecting us at the same time. I haven't had the chance to make him face-to-face, but based on what everyone said, he's a friendly guy. I wonder if it's the truth or not…

"Hey, Aqua. What do you think the new CPU will be like? Is she going to be like our previous Goddesses?"

"I hope she's nowhere near like her…" The Corrupted Goddess, as we dubbed it, killed all of her friends just to kill an evil Deity, then disappeared and then returned, controlling all of the monsters to kill us all. We couldn't believe at first, but when Histoire confirmed that she's indeed our old Goddess, we lost all faiths about the Goddesses…

"Hey Aqua, we didn't really know what happened when she disappeared. I can tell that she's not the same like before. I can even bet that girl is just an imposter."

"Until I know what's going on, I'm not forgiving her." I take the last sip off my wine cup and stand up.

"Off already?" "I need to vent out a bit then return back home. You take care of yourself." "You too, Aqua."

When I leave the bar, I take a look around me. Most of the buildings are built back to its original, but they still need a lot of fix-ups inside to do. The people, at some points, have managed to return back to their normal life. The sights of stuffs being stacked up and transported to where they're needed make me remember the good old times…before the Deity showed up…

"Oft…" I suddenly bump into someone while thinking. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"It's alright, miss. No harm done." When I hear that young voice, I take a look to see a twenty-year-old boy, with black hair and eyes, in a student uniform of sort. And…he's holding a stack of paper of some kind. And I haven't seen him around. Then he just walks away without any more words. I then just shrug it off and continue the way I'm walking…

And I meet the friends of the former Goddesses, IF and Compa. They're the ones who took the hardest when they heard who's controlling the monsters. Luckily they didn't fall into despair though.

Compa smiles when she greets me: "Hello miss Aqua! How are you today?"

I smile back. "I'm fine. How have you two been today?"

IF: "Nothing too serious. Just some regular jobs, helping people around, Guild management…Oh, did you see someone carrying a stack of paper walking around here?"

I point my thumb back. "I think he went that way. Just bumped into him moments ago."

Compa bows. "Thanks miss Aqua! IF, let's find him and then go to the Basilicom!" Her friend nods and both of them walk to the direction I just pointed. Hmm…they found a boy for their life? It can't be true, isn't it?

A few days later

"Greetings to all citizens of Gamindustri. I am Hybrid Heart, the new CPU of this world. I will be the one who carries the last will of the previous Goddesses, to protect you with all I have."

Did I…just hear it right?

Okay, I got an announcement that the new CPU will greet all of us today. Many of us have two sides of feelings about this. On one side, we really need someone to protect us, and guide us back like the Goddesses did in the past. On the other, we fear that this new CPU will be another downfall. In the end, we respect Histoire so we decide to go to the place the announcement will be hold and see if it's going to worth anything.

And…the first thing we noticed is the man, cladding in a white armor suit, standing behind Histoire and waiting for her to speak her lines. We thought he's just her bodyguard or so. Then, IF and Compa are standing next to him as well, so we were so sure about that. Only when Histoire pointed out what's the main purpose of this meet-up…

Famitsu, one of the reporters, immediately asks him: "You're saying that you're the new CPU, right? I thought all of the CPUs are female? And how did Histoire even gather enough Share to…uh…" She can't really find a right word for it.

"Create me, miss Famitsu?" She nods, but adds: "Basically, but don't call me miss please."

Hybrid Heart nods. "I understand. As for your questions. The previous CPUs were all female because that's what you all desired to have one as your protector. I, however, became a CPU unlike the others. And Histoire didn't gather those Share, I'm the one who did it myself."

Dengekiko starts her question: "Became a CPU? Is that even possible? And who was you before you accessed to the power of the CPU?"

He looks at the girl curiously: "You didn't ask me why I got those power for?"

Dengekiko: "You just said it, right? Protect us with all you have. Even though I'm having doubts, I don't really have to question you until I find out you have another motivation for that."

He smiles: "Thank you for your understanding. To answer you, it's not possible for normal human to become a CPU in this world. I have experienced side-effects when I turned myself into a CPU and I could withstand it, however, a normal person would die without a question, since Share energy is extremely unstable and it needs a counter-power to balance it. And for your second question…" He then shines up, just like when the CPUs returned to their human form, and…Hey! He's the guy I bumped into before! "I hope this satisfies your curious mind about who I am."

I am petrified now. How is he the new CPU? I know that the Goddesses had their human forms, so that they could help the citizens without getting into much troubles. But, this…is not okay. He dares to show his true identity for the whole world to see. What is he thinking?

Terry suddenly speaks up: "Oh, that's the new guy! He can transform into a CPU? Neat."

Wanda frowns. "Transforming into his human form in front of the whole world? He sure has some guts doing so. And what's he aiming for?" And that's also the question from Cave asking this new guy.

And his answer? "I want to show everyone that the CPUs always care about you. I'm just a guy who managed to live up with their names. All I have done and will do is to prove it. And I don't want any of you to speak about what happened years ago. They have done their best to protect you all from the rising darkness, with the cost of their lives. About the Corrupted Goddess, I'm sure they are not the same. I have heard her stories from her friends, and I can tell you, she did what she has done in regrets and sadness. She never wanted it, but she and the other Goddesses knew that's their only choice, and they accepted the cruel fate. She ran away, you say? It's because she felt that you didn't need her anymore, that you can stand on your own feet. She has her reasons right, but, being a young Candidate, she can't make every decision right every time. No one can do so. And I will prove that she would never let all of you down, by helping you all just like what CPUs have done good for you."

Ifrit whispers: "Damn, that guy knows what he's doing. Proving that the Corrupted Goddess is innocent? Ha, I doubt he can do so."

Terry: "I'm actually on his side. If the Corrupted Goddess and the last Candidate are not the same, then it makes sense for what's going on around the world."

I have to agree with him. Even though... "Wanda, Ifrit, Terry, can you come with me after this?"

Wanda: "What for?"

"I want to test if this guy's worth to be our leader."

Terry turns concern. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Without the power of CPU, he's pretty much strong. If he gains the power now…"

"There's a chance that his power will counter each other."

Ifrit leans to me and whispers: "Explain."

"If you have heard how he looked like when he used his previous power, obviously that thing's related to the Darkness. The power of the CPU is completely opposite. We can fight on with the Goddesses now, we'll see if he can live up with the name of a CPU…"

Later…

Kuro: "You four want to fight me?"

"Yes."

After the meeting, the Elite Hunter Squad has arrived at Planeptune's Basilicom. After getting a pass from the guards, we met the big guy in the meeting room with Histoire, IF and Compa. I decide not to go around and go straight to the point.

Kuro scratches his head as he looks at the stacks of paper next to him. "Can you pick another time please? Right now I'm…"

"Sorry Hybrid Heart. Once she's determined about something, she won't give it up anytime soon." Thanks for saying that, Wanda.

He sighs and stands up, but not before asking Histoire: "Can I use the colosseum for the fighting?"

The Oracle nods. "Sure, but you should return back soon. These paper could be doubled up if you're gone for too long."

Kuro shivers. "I'm not going out for that long." He then turns to us. "Follow me."

We meet up at the middle of the battleground, with our gears equipped. Kuro is still in his human form, in his hands are two normal katana. Kuro asks: "Do we really have to do this?"

"Sorry, but as one of the most powerful squads in Gamindustri, we need to make sure you know what you're doing, and if you're as what people believe you to be."

He sighs again. "Very well. I hope you know who you're dealing with."

"Are the combatants ready?" One of the watchers speaks through the mic in the audience stage. Both of us give out a thumb up. "Alright. Fight whenever you're ready."

Immediately after he said those words, I sprint towards and swing my ice rapier right at Kuro's left side, hoping that he would dodge the blade. But, when the rapier nearly hits him, it's grabbed by some of the black smoke coming from Kuro. Not letting me snap out of my shock, the smoke creates a small knuckle and punches me out of him along with my rapier. Balancing myself with a backflip, I summon a few icicles and throw them to Kuro. At the same time Wanda sends slashes of wind and rushes to the new CPU. This time he thrusts his left hand towards, not his sword, and creates a glyph to block the projectiles, then immediately raises his right sword to block Wanda's hit. The second time won't be a surprise, as Wanda swings him away, making him stumble on his feet. Terry, who has positioned behind him during out attacks, manages to uppercut Kuro and sends him to the air. He then jumps up and does a flying kick, but the kick goes through Kuro's body. Then, once Terry goes through the whole body, both of the CPU's weapons fade out, as he grabs the Hunter's leg and throws him to us in great speed and force that creates a small crater in the landing area. Upon seeing his friend fail to do real damage to the CPU, Ifrit creates a pillar of fire right under where he lands and we can see it burning the poor guy…Only after the fire fades away for us to see the CPU is nowhere near harm.

"So, your guys sure don't pull your punches. Guess I should return back the favor." The CPU then teleports right in the middle space between us and punches the ground, creating shockwaves that knock us far away. Ifrit recovers first to see the CPU has transformed into his HDD form (Or at least, that's what we thought back then). He then sends a few fireballs to the transformer, when the guy suddenly pulls out a hammer, that looks strikingly similar to the Lowee Goddess' weapon, and just hits all of them back to Ifrit and makes him dodge. I stand up and thrust the rapier towards, and Kuro just calls out a broadsword, replacing the hammer in a second, and swats the hit out and staggers me. While I'm losing control of my movement, he puts his free hand on my back and pushes me even further, making me face-plant to the ground. Ifrit pulls out his fiery sword and slashes two fire waves to Kuro before rushing after it. The CPU then uses his spear (that time, even when we could do stuffs like that, we couldn't really have enough focus to replace weapons in a short amount of time in battle) and slashes in the same way to destroy the waves, then thrusts forwards to make Ifrit block it. Then, Kuro makes a quick series of thrusts, making Ifrit either dodge or block the stab. At the last miss, he instantly swings the spear horizontally, making the blunt side hit Ifrit and send him fly right to me, and both of us fall to the ground again. Terry and Wanda run to us, and four of us, without saying a word, summon projectiles of our elements and send all of them to anywhere near our opponent, thinking he has no chance to dodge. Only for him to use the Planeptune Goddess' sword to destroy all of them with one simple swing.

"I hope you have realized that, you're not fighting against one CPU, you're against all four Goddesses of Gamindustri." His voice is being echoed the whole place, signaling that his voice now is a combination of multiple voices. "Also, hence the name Hybrid Heart I call myself."

Now that makes sense. We have the previous Goddesses' titles being related to a color of sort. Not only he's the first male CPU, but he's also the first one without using a color for the name. But then…a few unsolved things are still there.

"Well then…" I put my left hand behind my back while silently chanting my EXE. "May I ask how can you have accessed to their power?"

Kuro: "I managed to convert their power to work at the same time with my previous power. But what I have done a few moments ago, it's just the CPU's power."

Terry chuckles. "Interesting. But…if you're using your HDD form, then why don't you have wings? How could you fly?"

Kuro: "First, I don't need one to fly. Second…" He changes himself back to his human form and calls out his dual katana. "If you can impress me, I will tell you."

Wanda: "Very well. If you say so…Eye of the Storm!" With her words finished, Kuro raises his arms to his face to avoid being hit by a direct force from the storm he's right in the middle. When he's not looking, I instantly use my EXE, Ice Barricade, to freeze him right there, leaving only his upper half intact. Then, Terry uses his power to raise himself and the ground around up and transforms the earth into his Giant Armor, and Ifrit floats up and calls out his enormous fiery Phoenix. And both of them slam their punches, or with Ifrit being his own Phoenix, right in the middle of the storm, creating a devastating sound and they make at least half of the battleground thrashed. Also, the high temperature of Ifrit's Phoenix causes my Ice to vaporize and turn into thick steam. I and Wanda look at each other, then turn to the middle, hoping that attack knock the CPU out.

"No wonder you're the best among the best, Stormbringer, Collosus, Healing Dragon and Immortal Phoenix." We widen our eyes to see Kuro, still in his human form, using both of his hands to block both attacks from Ifrit and Terry. "Though, if you want to truly defeat me, you're gonna need a lot more forces to even try to give me a scratch." I'm sure both of them are hanging their mouth in disbelief. "Since you have impressed me, I suppose I have to give you the second reason why I didn't have wings in that form." Kuro then pushes back the two punches a bit, then his Aura bursts and knocks both our fighters off. That also creates waves of energy that forces us to cover our eyes. When we can see again…

Many have wondered, what happened to a Goddess if she isn't affected by the Anti-share power? What if she can turn the tile and use it to help us? How much it would change her? Better, or worse? And…Would she be the same Goddess we put our faith in?

Now, the latest CPU, floating in the air, has proved how powerful he is while just being himself. Cladding in half white and half black, with Goddesses wings and Demon wings on both sides behind him, he stays in the air with his Aura flowing constantly around him. And the pressure from him…

"The one you saw before, I dubbed it the God form." His voice still echoes, but now it's only one voice. "In that form, the only weapons I can use are the weapons that's known to be used by the CPUs. And I used that form, mostly for you all to still remember the Goddesses you all loved and respected. Only when things are dire, or I need to use all I have to protect you all, then I would use this form." He then points his finger up, and power starts flowing towards the tip and forms a ball of dark energy, and it quickly expands to the size that rivals Ifrit's Phoenix size. "Now, I want to stand down please. I don't want to knock you all out with this attack. However, if you don't, I have to do so. You're not going to be harmed, just knocked unconscious."

If the description about his first attack here was right, then this is not his strongest spell. He would do much more, yet he held back just because he doesn't want to harm us…The Goddesses always fought us with all they had, but it's because we told them to do so. Him, however, knows that we can never reach to his level of power, and one small mistake could cause a dreadful consequence…

"We give up."

* * *

Present day

"You know, I wonder if you or Wanda would be the better leader." Shanghai's sipping from a cup that's half her size, while sitting in Charlotte's arms. The announcement went smoothly, the death of Joseph and his crimes were also noted. Currently no one questions about me being Queen, probably because they know how Charles and our family was like before all of the things Joseph has created. And after the whole day with papers and conversations, I, my daughter and Kuro have retreated back to our personal living room, with the maid before serving drinks for us. And the maid was extremely surprised about Kuro being Shanghai. "You even called out the first fight before Wanda, and now you're a Queen, while Wanda…"

"She's still better in strategy calling. I would never be half her level. And more powerful in strength, I'm sure of that."

Shanghai: "At least you know how to be one." She then sips. "By the way, I have called the other leaders. We have agreed about the date to meet up, about two days later. Hope that things will get better from here."

Charlotte pats her. "You being here is the first sight. We can't really thank you enough." Shanghai just purrs.

The maid speaks up: "Madam, may I have a word?" "Yes?" "How can you deal with…eh, him? Her? I'm so confused about this." I giggle. "You just have to. If he's in this form, just treat him like how you treat a doll, that's all." She still looks uncertain about it. Charlotte brings Shanghai up and pushes her to the maid, which makes her a bit surprise. And when she looks at Shanghai's cute face, she just sighs and starts patting her as well, which makes the doll squeeze into her hand in delight. The maid smiles at that, and then returns the doll to my daughter. "Can't really deny that she's cute." "She aims for that compliment." Ah, right after the fight…

* * *

Flashback

IF: "So you surrendered?"

"Of course. I thought we still had a fair chance to fight against him, but he proved it to be false."

We're staying at the Planeptune Goddess' living room, where I'm tending the minor wounds that we got during the fight. Kuro has gone back to the meeting room to deal with the paper, and based on his horror face, it seems to have doubled.

Compa asks: "But, why did you want to fight him in the first place?"

Wanda: "Well, we needed to know if he's worth to be our leader. Besides, even if he's worth but he doesn't have the strength, then it would be a problem."

Histoire: "We understand that. But, because of what he has done, we believe that he has enough qualities to lead the four nations."

Terry raises his eyebrows: "Are you sure that he can lead all four nations…"

Histoire: "We don't think so."

That makes all of us sit straight up. Ifrit asks her instantly: "Then why? Why bother announcing him being a CPU?"

IF answers: "It's because of you all, and Nepgear's last wish."

"Nepgear? You mean Purple Sister?"

Compa nods. "Ge-Ge wants all nations to stand together, no conflicts, no war, no separations."

Histoire continues: "However, Kuro and us Oracles have discussed about this, and Kuro pointed out that's impossible in some points. Nepgear had good intentions, however, she's a Goddess, not a human, so she won't understand how a human feels. Kuro, on the other hands, has stayed in a place that, he described, was a true Hell in reality. And he has experienced, first hand, about what happened if you try to force someone to work exactly like how you want them to do. So he suggested that, he will still be the one to give the final decisions, however, he will make sure that there's a second route for every single plan, so that if someone doesn't like the first one, they can go to the second. And about other nations, we Oracles will be the ones who takes care of the nations with Kuro constantly checks on us if there's something wrong for him to intervene. Since he's no longer human, he said that we should help the people directly in nations rebuilding. He will be the protector."

Wanda leans back and thinks about it. Then, she says: "That…is some very thoughtful plans from Kuro. Never thought a guy like that would think so deep."

IF suddenly snickers. Terry asks in curiosity: "What is this, IF?"

IF bursts out laughing: "You have to see him after giving that plans." Compa joins in the laugh, but with quieter tone.

Now that gets our attentions. "What did he do after…" I stop as I hear the door that leads to this room opening. We look to the direction, thinking to meet a guard or so, only to see a little doll floating in, with her face showing distress. Then she just hugs Histoire and starts crying out loud with no actual verbal words. Histoire just smiles and pats the doll, which is taller than her a bit, trying to calm her down.

IF suddenly says: "Well, you got your answer here."

Wait what?

"What do you mean by that IF?"

Compa: "Well, she…" She points to the doll, who has lessened her cry and only sniffles now. "Is actually our new CPU, Kuro."

…

"WHAT?" All of us exclaim. That doll is the one guy that gave out a big talk in front of the people just a while ago?

"It's true." Histoire turns to us. "He's the one you just fought earlier. He's not actually that tough as he seems to be."

I look at the doll in interest. "How so?"

IF: "Well, he's actually a scary cat. He's easy to be scared, despite his Dark transformation. The times you saw him being the true leader were only when he needed to be serious, otherwise he would be like this. And…" She snickers. "He's just a big kid if you compare him with the ones the same age as him."

That's…even more problematic than the other Goddesses. Like, all of them were serious when they were in their HDD, and being carefree people in their normal form. But…they only had one personality that we knew. This guy…surely has more than we have seen.

Terry just stares at the small doll for a few moments, before asking: "If he's…this doll, then how can we call him? Her? Whatever it is…"

Compa: "Well, he said that he took the doll's appearance, and her name is Shanghai."

Ifrit shakes himself out of shock and asks: "Back to the old question, and another from me. Why is he doing this?"

Histoire: "Well, probably because of the tripled stacks." Wow, tripled? "He could deal with it, but as we said before, he's not used to these things. The same happened before, right after he told us about his plans, he just slammed his head on the table and cried crocodile tears. We all sweat-dropped about it, and he just explained that he didn't like to do so, but he needed to, and he had reached to the point that he couldn't keep that face up anymore. So now, when he doesn't need to be so serious, he just becomes like this. Not necessary to change his appearance every time, though."

"A split personality right at the human form? Sounds interesting."

IF: "It's not the same with the other CPUs. It's more of him trying to be responsible."

I turn to see the doll again. Seeing her floating aside Histoire is…kinda cute, even though we know who she actually is…

* * *

Present day

And now she still has the charm. Seriously, that and compared when he's pissed, it's like Heaven and Hell. A complete contrast.

Kuro: "You girls should take a rest now. From tomorrow, things will get a bit rougher." I and Charlotte nod, as we walk out of the living room but not without saying goodbye to the maid. I return back to my bedroom and lay myself on the bed. Then, I pull out the picture, it was taken right when it's the anniversary for 10 years of rebuilding Gamindustri. Kuro stands in the middle with his regular outfit, with both Compa and IF on both of his sides with their kids. The Resistance Squads and the Elite Hunter Squads are standing behind them and making the picture full.

"Time sure has passed away so fast…" I mutter, then stand up and change my clothes, before hitting the bed for good…

* * *

The meeting day with the other leaders, Kuro's POV

So basically, this is the Round-table meeting?

With the celebrities we're seeing now, maybe it's it.

Let's do a quick check then:

Tristain: Queen Marianne with Cardinal Mazarin

Germania: Emperor Albrecht with Ifrit

Romalia: The Pope Vittorio with Julio

Albion: King James with Wales

Gallia: Queen Marietta with me (though they don't know that yet, due to the fact I'm Shanghai now)

Holy Land: The High-leader, which we knew later that his name is Iefyr, with Bidashal

Twelve people… yeah, coincidence at its finest.

The High-leader looks around, probably trying to find me. "May I ask where the Deity is? He should be here for this important moment."

Aqua answers: "We don't really need him, High-leader of the elves. He only ensured that we could have this meeting. From this point, we're on our own."

Bidashal notices me sitting on her shoulder: "Is that a doll on your shoulder, Queen of Gallia?"

Aqua looks at me, then turns back to him. "Yes, why?"

Ifrit gets Bidashal's attention: "You don't need to care about the doll. She would be there if she's not going to interrupt us."

Bidashal raises his eyebrows in suspicion, but doesn't say more.

Queen Marianne speaks up: "If you're ready, then we should get the meeting start." Everyone nods. "Now, I'm sure you have met with the High Deity, Hybrid Heart before right, mister High-leader of the elves?" The mentioned nods. "We're here today, because we want to redeem our past mistakes, and we want to reconnect our races together. We will discuss about the conditions of our peace treat. But, I want to ask about your opinions about this. I received information from one of the people you met days ago, saying you're still considering much about this. And we're not going to push you into this, but we really need to know if you want it or not."

Iefyr leans towards the Queen. "The Queen of Tristain, if we don't consider the possibility you just addressed, we wouldn't have stayed here. Even against the odds, even when most of us still think human are the worst creatures, the rest know that we can't judge you all just by one person's actions, no matter how bad it was. We will agree about us being reconnected, however, like you said, we also need to know if you agree or not. I still have a bit suspicion that not all human will like this, especially the leaders of the nations like you all."

Albrecht chuckles. "You have your own thoughts, we do too. At the first place, I didn't really like the ideas. However, in that moment, Joseph, the former king of Gallia, was still in charge, we couldn't make a risky move, it would cause troubles to not only us but to you too. Only when a promising person showed up, that I knew the chance has come. And he has proved to be capable to do what he's planned to do. I decided to go with the flow, and with the help of my friends' knowledge, I was determined to see how the guy would do for this."

James continues. "I have to agree with him. I have thought the elves were bad, and should be…" He stops there. Then, he continues. "Then, even before the Rebels managed to take my country, we thought we just gave up right there and let things run by its course. And Kuro just jumped in and turned the table around. He even managed to convince all of us about you all being not as bad as we thought."

Vittorio: "All of the processes he did were just for us to have a better life in the future. No hidden motives, no bad endings, just him wandering around and helping us. And he even gave us choices, most of which were to reunite Halkeginia with minimum bloodshed. So, that's how we're here, to settle this one and for all."

Iefyr then turns to Aqua: "What about you?"

She smiles. "I have known him for over ten years, and he has shown me the kindness and forgiveness that only a few could do. Even in the darkest time, he still found a way to lighten our life up. Now, with the power he has, he does what he sees that's fit for this world. Elves won't be the last race we have dealt with without problems. In our old world, we have encountered worse enemies, so having to reconnect two races is the first step for this world's advance."

Iefyr nods. Then, he realizes what she just said. "Wait, old world? You meant that you are from where the High Deity is from?"

Aqua shakes her head. "Not 'are', 'were' is the right word. I have died back then, but I have reincarnated here, with many others. However, Kuro wouldn't care if I have become another people. He only cares that if I'm still who I am in my soul, and not just my background nor my appearance."

Iefyr just looks at her for a while, then leans back to his chair. "I suppose we're all in agreement here. Alright, then it's settled. Now, about the conditions…"

Nah, I'm not staying here anymore. I decide to just float off Aqua's shoulder and fly out of the room. Before I completely leave, I can see all of them having widened their eyes in shock that I'm a sentient doll.

When I close the door and turn to my right, I see Wardes, with his mask, walking to me. "Hey, how have you been?"

He nods, upon recognizing who I am. "I'm good, thank you. Is the meeting over?"

"No. I just don't like to listen anymore, so I'm out."

He crosses his arms before his chest. "Thought someone like you would be listening to these stuffs often?"

I pout. "Doesn't mean I like to do it. It's so boring."

He points his thumb to the outside. "How about a little walk outside?" "Good to me." "And change to your human form please. It would be awkward if I speak to a floating doll." "Oh."

We're now walking on the street of Tristania. Wardes has put his mask away, since most people didn't really know about his betrayal.

I decide to ask first: "How's your doing with Louise so far?"

"We're even. Now, we're friends."

"And not anywhere…"

"I want to take it slow. Can't force her like before."

"Good enough. About your current work?"

"Better than I thought. Luckily right now there's no one too strong and be on bad side. But the inner problems are still there."

"Of course. It will happen, if not now then later." I then look at the corner shop. "Can we go and check on that weapon shop? I need to see something."

We walk into the shop, to see that it has been decorated better than before. The shopkeeper is also wearing such nicer clothes than the last time I and Adam met him.

"Oh, customers! How can I…" Upon he sees my face, he instantly bows. "Your Grace! Welcome back to my humble store!"

Wardes turns to me. "What did you do?" "Just scared him with Death. Now…" I turn to the shopkeeper. "Stand straight up." He does so. "I see that you have taken my advices. Good for you." "Thank you, sir!" His voice is a bit stiff.

Wardes picks up a sword and examples it. "Those swords…not really the best, but they're good for combat."

The shopkeeper explains to him: "I made sure that none of my swords are placed in the wrong locations. The ones you're looking at are for pure battle. The ones next to you are for practice fights, and…"

"That's enough. We get the point. You have done well this time. Keep it up." He bows thankfully. "Wardes, you need something here?" "No actually. But, my subordinates might have a good place for weapon replacements now." "Kay then. See you in the future, shopkeeper." "Nice to see you again, Your Grace!"

"That one…if I remember right, he used to trick a lot of people, right?" "Well, he just tries to live, so I will let it slide. He only hurt the customers' trust." "Could be someone's life…" "That's to blame both sides, not just him…"

"Bonjour! You two look a little tired! How about having a drink in my pretty tavern?" That…cringey…voice… We both turn to look a muscle man, wearing…I'm NOT having any of this.

Wardes is also extremely uncomfortable about this. But before we could say anything, Scarron just pushes us to his tavern and puts us at a table. "Now, let us serve you both with the finest of our dishes! My fairies! Start serving these handsome men with all you have!" I feel like both Charlotte and Aqua will kill me when I tell them about this. Anyway, the fairies are…not very bad. Though, being taught by Scarron, they are a bit…over the top. Luckily they don't really harass us much, but still… We try to smile to them and 'pretend' to be happy about this. After five full minutes, they start separating and serving the other customers, who are giving us death glares in jealous.

I take that sweet time to sigh heavily. "God, I don't know what to scare now."

Wardes smiles weakly: "Yeah, the girls are wild, I will give them that. At least they know the way to please us."

"And they found a way to send me to Hell. Remember about my girlfriend?"

"Wives?"

"No, Charlotte. And Marietta as well."

Wardes realizes what I'm saying. "You're pretty doomed, aren't you?" "Yep."

"Are our fairies serving you good, sir?" Scarron, please, for once, speak normally.

"They're…quite good. You know how to train them." Luckily, that's the truth. Scarron may act weird, but he has a good heart, and he knows how to run a business. But…

"Tres bien! Thanks for your compliment!" I would bet a thousand Credit that he would beat the Opera woman who can break glass with her voice.

"Now, now father, let those gentlemen have some time alone. You have another guests waiting for you." "Of course my dear!" He then walks away, and leaves Jessica serving us more wine. "Sorry about his attitude. He's just too excited to see you two on the street."

At least his daughter's not like him. "May I ask why?"

"Well, you're famous among the commoners. About how you're going to change the view about the Nobles, and improve our life." She turns to Wardes. "And you're the infamous Griffin Knight that helps with the reunion of two races after 6000 years of…"

Wardes interrupts her: "Wait, where did you hear that? That information is…"

"She is Siesta's cousin." I decide to take the drink, as Wardes gives me a look of surprise. "And no, she's not my citizen. But…" I turn to Jessica. "You probably heard it from her, didn't you?"

She giggles. "She's not wrong when she said you know more than you look like. Yes, I heard it from her. But I haven't told it to anyone else, aside from you two."

Wardes sighs in relief. "And I thought my secrets are out."

I ask her: "By the way, how much did she tell you about us?"

"Most likely you. Saying you're a Deity, and her mother knew you before."

"Both are the truth. And…" Suddenly my phone rings, as I check the screen to see…I'm so dead.

"Where are you, Kuro? The meeting is finished."

"I'm in the bar with Wardes."

"Bar? Normally you wouldn't head there unless you have some bad times…"

"Well…Nisa's relative, who owns the tavern, just pulled us in and invited us some drinks, so…"

"The Charming Fairies, isn't it?" … "Luckily I called you first. If Charlotte knows about this…"

"…"

"You…didn't do anything, right?"

"I didn't. But the owner taught the girls here a bit…too well…"

'And I should punish you for this, shouldn't I?' I turn my head around to find Charlotte, but I can't see her anywhere. 'I'm still in the Academy. But Louise found out that we could see through our familiar's eyes. So, you have any last words?' 'Eh…please gentle?' 'Well, I will see you later.'

Wardes and Aqua notice that I'm extremely pale and not moving. Wardes shakes me. "Hey, Kuro. What's wrong?"

"She found out." That's the only thing I could say. From the background, I hear Ifrit laughing out loud. "Not, funny, Ifrit."

"But it is. Good luck, my man." Then, his laugh becomes smaller, he probably walks to somewhere far from the call.

Aqua teases me: "What do you want to do first, before your funeral?"

"Uh…" If…you guys have a girlfriend, you might experience this before, right? Right? Can someone give me a way to escape this please?

A bit too early, my friend. We have at least three thousand words before I decide to end this chapter.

Damn it…

* * *

Aqua's POV

I decide to end the call abruptly. Let's see how he's going to deal with my a-bit-jealous daughter.

Ifrit is still laughing. I ask him: "Wasn't you in the same situation like Kuro before?"

He answers back. "But I knew how to deal with it. Kuro didn't. That's why I'm laughing."

I chuckle. Ifrit and Terry are both playboys, so obviously they're not flinched because of this moment. Kuro, on the other hand, is too pure for his own good. Even after when he's married…

* * *

Flashback

I'm walking on the street with my team. Seeing the nations having turned back to its glory time…

"Hey, there's a new movie making about our new CPU. Do you want to go and watch?"

Ifrit: "I saw the trailer a while ago. But, the one casting the role itself is not Kuro, right?"

Wanda: "Not sure. Or he could make him change a bit so people thought he didn't involve?"

Terry: "It's possible, but unlikely. Besides, things like this, Kuro isn't the one to be in."

"Watching a film?"

Terry: "No, being a cast. He doesn't like too much attention, remember?"

"Hey, it could be him. He would be honored to be…" I'm stopped abruptly by someone running with extreme speed pass us. We turn our head to see who, only to see the glimpse of a white travel coat the runner's wearing. Only one person wears that in this moment…

Ifrit narrows his eyes. "Isn't that Kuro? What happened to him?"

"Probably forgot something."

Terry: "Can't be. He's clumsy, but if he really forgot something, he would just teleport the items to him." Fair point.

"Whatever the case, it's not exactly our problem to think about, it's his." Everyone nods. "Now, onward to the cinema!"

Two hours later…

"Well, the animation is quite good, but the story isn't the same…"

Terry: "Can't blame them. Kuro only showed very little about his life. They have portrayed everything they could ask from him."

Wanda: "Yeah…hey, it's IF and Compa!"

IF: "Hello! Have you all seen Kuro around?"

"Two hours ago. Saw him running to the Basilicom. You haven't met him since then?"

Compa: "Well, the girls might have done something a bit too cruel for him."

All of us look at the couple in confusion. "Cruel?"

IF: "Uh-huh. We didn't know until a few moments ago. Would you go and check on him with us?"

Wanda tilts her head. "Was that important?"

IF: "Not really. But, the more the merrier."

Terry shrugs. "We don't really have any better things to do. Oh, and we can ask if the movie is accurate or not."

Compa: "Oh? You watched the film?"

Ifrit: "Just recently."

"Then it's settled then. Let's find Kuro."

…And we greet a worried Histoire. "Did you all do something to Kuro?"

IF speaks sheepishly: "Well, it's our fault for not taking care of him good enough."

Histoire raises her eyebrows. "Care to explain?"

Compa: "Well, the girls were taking the hot-spring together, which we didn't participate in. Then, Red thought it's a good idea to call Kuro there. I think she was lying that they got problems there. So, Kuro being Kuro, just went there to try and find problems, only to see the problem was him being there."

Oh…maybe that's…

Ifrit and Terry are leaning against each other, preventing from falling on the floor laughing, and Wanda massages her temples. "So, where's he now?"

Histoire: "He's using my office room as his last stand, probably hiding in a corner now. He looked extremely traumatized, you know."

IF sighs. "Red went a bit too far this time, even though she had good intentions. Now Compa, let's see if we could pull him out of the room." Compa nods and the two head to Histoire's office room.

I ask Histoire: "Are you exaggerating things up? Kuro can't be…"

Histoire: "You know him already. He's too loyal to the girls he truly loves, and his own morale fights against his desires. Combine all of that, and you can see the result."

"Both IF and Compa are okay with him being with other girls…"

"And yet he still won't fix it."

Wanda sighs and pulls the two laughing guys to her. "I think we have no more business here, Aqua. Let us go back and we would visit him tomorrow." "Maybe so. Goodbye Histoire." "Goodbye all of you. And have a nice day."

* * *

Present day

Yeah, some things never change. Even when he has my daughter as his new girlfriend/wife.

"Ifrit, you can stop laughing now."

He complies, but he still has a big grin on his face. "His child would be very surprised when she, or he hears about that."

"His child? Not Schwarz and Weiss?"

"You know what I'm implying here." Yeah, grandkid for me…

"You two like to tease him like that, don't you?" Bidashal asks us, after hearing the whole thing.

Ifrit answers: "Well, he just does that for us to laugh, even when it's bad for him. He won't be mad at us, but rather happy that we have a good laugh out of his misery."

Bidashal: "He did that too often?"

"Too many times to count. And many times of a same cases."

Iefyr sighs: "After seeing how powerful he is, and then hearing this…"

I giggle. "You just have to accept it." Though, what would my daughter do to him?

* * *

Kuro's POV

Aqua, don't leave me like that! HELP!

Jessica bows apologetically: "I'm sorry if we caused you troubles…"

I pocket my phone and wave my hand. "Don't worry, it's not your fault. I know who exactly to blame on, and that's not you or your father." I then stand up. "Better get everyone back to their home. Wardes, are you finished?" "Yeah, I am. Let's go. And thanks for the drink Jessica." "It's a pleasure to meet you two. Hope you two return in the future!"

Later…

"Where…where is everyone?" I ask myself fearfully. I have sent the leaders of the other nations back to their places. Right now I'm seeing students around the yard, but no one in my group is there. I then ask a random maid, to receive the answer that I don't want to hear: most of them are currently in the dining hall, except Charlotte who's probably in my house now. I thank her and walk to the direction. I stand before the door, shakily grab the knob and spin it. Inside the house, I can't see anything, because it's dark as hell. Why does nobody open the light?

"Char…charlotte…are you in here?" I ask into the darkness…My own house is a haunted house in my eyes now! I open a flashlight and start searching the house.

"If…If you're angry at me…then I'm sorry, okay? Please…answer me…" I walk closer to Charlotte's room and open the door. I point the light into the room…no one here…

"Charlotte…you know I wouldn't do that on my own will, right?" Another room…nothing…

"Charlotte?" I open my room's door and walk in. I walk to my bed, only to get pulled and laid in it. And the light turns on, for me to see that…Charlotte, in a nearly transparent blue nightgown, is hugging me tightly, just like how I used to do so on her. And she's…HAVING HEARTS IN HER EYES!

"I would never…" She starts speaking, but not in her truly voice. She sounds like…Iris Heart in… "Get angry at you…You're mine…and you know it…and you keep it until the very end…Just…make me happy…" OKAY! TIME OUT! WHAT THE HELL? I push myself out of her and start crawling into the corner, cowering at what I'm seeing now. She then just crawls to me, and puts one of her fingers on my chest. "Now, now Kuro…don't run away from **your wife** like that…I want to have you for the night…" ANYONE! SAVE ME! "Let us return to the bed and…" HELP! CHANGE THE GODDAMN SCENE NOW! "Have some fun tonight…" DAMN YOU **LOVE POTION**! AND SCREW YOU CREATOR!

* * *

The next day, Saito's POV

Louise: "Do you think it will work?"

"Absolutely not."

Montmorency pouts: "The Love potion never fails before…"

"I'm sure he knows about it. I'm thinking about he would do when he found out."

Julio: "But I'm surprised that the Professors actually allowed us to use it. That thing is…"

"Illegal, we know. However, since we explained that we would use it for Kuro, they just rolled with it since they knew Kuro could fix that with his power."

Kirche: "Do you think it might upset him?"

"Well…Charlotte asked us for it, so we can't really be blamed on that."

Henrietta just blushes when we speak about it. "Do you need to discuss things like that in the middle of people?"

"It's fine. And, thought you would get some experiences for you and Wales?"

A tiny explosion occurs on my face.

Louise: "Don't give her wrong ideas, Saito."

"I'm sure she has them in her mind. Now…"

"It failed." We turn to see a red-faced Charlotte sitting next to us.

Montmorency is surprised. "Failed? How? That's Love potion!"

Charlotte: "He's shuddering under his bed now. With this…" She gives us a small paper, as I grab it and see 'PLEASE FORGIVE ME!' written in the whole side, fully filled it.

Tiffania asks in worry: "Is he okay?"

Charlotte: "Extremely scared. He looked at me like I was a predator or something."

"Well…right…" I now remember something…

Guiche: "You know something?"

"I think his past returned when you did so. He was traumatized by the girls before, so I think…Charlotte, you turned extremely aggressive when you drank the Love potion, right?" She nods, blushing hard because of the memories. "Yeah, that's probably the case. His mental is not…capable to handle such things. Have you tried to pull him out of there?"

Charlotte: "I tried to call him, but it seems he's too scared to notice me."

I sigh. Kuro is a handful sometimes. "Alright, Julio, Guiche. Help me pull Kuro out of the room. We can't let him cower in there forever."

* * *

After a tug of war, based on what Saito said, Charlotte's POV

"Please…forgive me…Charlotte…" Now I feel horrible and guilty for what I have done to him.

According to Saito, Kuro refused to even leave the place he was in last night. He said that he's afraid that Charlotte might punish him, like how Iris Heart 'nearly' did to him. Only that, he knew Iris Heart only wanted to tease, while I fully had all the intentions to do 'that' with him…And because he loves me, that he was scared because I suddenly turned into 'that'. Right now, Shanghai is cowering behind Saito, with only the bow visible to my sight. The bow's shaking like a leaf in the strong wind, and I can hear her sniffling every now and then. Tiffania is trying to pull her out of there, but she's holding on Saito's coat tightly.

Saito sighs: "I should have seen this coming. Thought he has already over it after his time with IF and Compa."

Kirche looks at Shanghai worriedly. "Do you think he might stay like that forever?"

Saito: "Not likely. Though, we need him to go back to Charlotte soon, otherwise…" The bow turns left and right continuously, showing that Shanghai's not ready for it. "Seriously, your girlfriend has turned back to her normal self, okay? Stop hiding behind me." She shakes even more after that.

Louise suddenly asks me: "Uh, Charlotte…did you say something that might…go overboard last night?"

I blush instantly. "Well…I…" The girls focus to me. "I…may have called myself…his wife…and…he's mine…" That makes all the girls blush in embarrassment at my bluntness.

"How strong the Love Potion have you made, miss Montmorency?" Suddenly Colbert walks to us and asks, which makes the girl panics.

"Pro…professor Colbert…I…"

He interrupts her. "I gave you permission, so I won't punish you. However, I want to know how strong it was. If even Kuro reacts like this, then the Potion has made Charlotte to turn extremely wild." I blush even deeper when he says that.

Montmorency calms down a bit. "If I remember right…I have used most of my strongest stuffs to make it and…oh…"

Guiche asks his girlfriend: "What did you put into the Potion?"

"Eh…" She spins her tea cup slowly. "I think…I might have put my strongest aphrodisiac in it…"

Saito deadpans: "That thing only increases her desires, nothing more. How could she act like…"

"With some of mind-bending materials." She finishes.

Silence…

Henrietta: "How…did you even get access to them?"

Colbert and I recognize why. Colbert explains: "There are some materials that's harmless when we use it raw. But if we mix them with other ingredients with precise, it could turn into something extraordinary."

"And since it's used for this, the effects went high."

Julio also tries to pull Shanghai out of Saito. "Come on now, it's in the past. She did say she's not mad at you, right?" Shanghai still resists. Guiche then helps Julio pulling him out successfully and pushing him towards me. She's now facing me directly, her eyes dwelling in tears. She's whimpering in extremely low tone, that I can't hear what she says, but judging by her expression, she's still apologizing me. Now I'm feeling like a bully to her.

I gently raise my hands to her, which makes her float back a bit in fear. I wait, and a moment later, Shanghai takes my wait as she slowly puts her hands on mine, and I slowly pull her to me. When we're close enough, I press her cheek against mine. "I'm sorry, for what I have done to you last night. I did something that can't be forgiven. I know you would never do anything to hurt me, but despite my best judgment, I decided to do something that you didn't like, and it turned out bad for both of us. I hope this didn't…"

"No…more?" I look at Shanghai's face. "No…more…mean…Charlotte?" If she's acting like this, the event last night sure has left a scar in his mind.

"Yes, I promise. No mean Charlotte." She nods, this time she smiles as she pushes herself to me now.

Tiffania exhales in relief: "I thought he would be like this forever."

Julio: "It's going to be extremely bad if he's like that forever." Shanghai has floated back to my shoulder, sitting on it while leaning to my head and playing with my hair. "By the way, having you dealt with the Dragon yet, Kuro?"

Saito asks him: "What Dragon?" "The Ancient Dragon. We had an unpleasant honor to see our own deaths when T.O was pissed of us."

Guiche: "You had to learn from the hard ways, huh?" "Yeah. Not going to do so again." "Smart move."

"The stupid thing is that, the matter has been solved." T.O speaks. And no one, to this point, is not surprised anymore.

Louise: "How? You solved it? There's no way Kuro solved it."

T.O: "Yeah, Kuro didn't solve it. But I didn't either. The Ancient Dragon is actually the Deity of Chaos."

Kirche: "Deity of Chaos? What is that?"

T.O: "You wouldn't know him. The Deity of Chaos was formless. Only recently he gained the form of the Dragon."

"How…recently are you talking about?"

T.O: "Just about the same time with Brimir." Deadpan. "To an immortal Deity, it's recent."

Saito: "Back to Louise's question. How is the matter solved?"

T.O: "He's Death's younger brother." Really? "If Halkeginia isn't united, then he would just go in and create even more chaos. Luckily, since Death is Kuro's ally now, and he gave him those food, he wouldn't go out until there's a problem between nations."

"You just said…that Kuro didn't solve it."

T.O: "I did. Kuro gave them to Death, and Death gave her brother some. End of story."

Colbert looks at him in disbelief. "Is…it real? Or you just made it up?"

T.O: "If I made that up, I would get complains from Death already."

Saito: "So…is there any major issue that we need to solve now?"

T.O: "Not likely."

Actually, there is.

T.O: "Oh? Is there something I miss?"

*Whispers*

T.O: "Uh-huh…That? Do you think it's a good idea?"

Positive.

T.O: "If you want to…There's another event before I say my goodbye to you all."

I blink. Goodbye? "What do you mean by that?"

T.O: "I'm The Observer, but that doesn't mean I will interact with you all the time. The goodbye here means that. I still watch over you all, though, just that I won't talk to you anymore until there are things that's too crucial for me here."

"I see…then, what about Saito, Kuro, and the others?"

T.O: "The Creator planned to tell Kuro to go back. However, The Creator re-thinks about it, and wants me to say this: That's everyone's choice. Now, since Kuro has connected two worlds with each other, and the connects are stabilized, there's no reason to force the Gamindustrians to return back anymore."

I sigh in relief. So I don't have to be separated from Kuro. But then… "Then what's the event you're talking about?"

T.O chuckles: "Well, let's change the scene a bit…"

* * *

Months later…

I look at T.O, then to the Goddesses who are playing with the other students. "Is this what The Creator planned to do?"

T.O: "Not ours. This one happened in the original timeline."

Kirche tries to pull me out of the big umbrella I'm currently standing under. "Let's go Charlotte! We have the beach for ourselves, so enjoy this with your best!"

I sigh, but smile and follow her, but not without saying goodbye to T.O. It's our summer vacation, and Henrietta manages to get us a coast for the whole Academy. The students have been excited for this, and even more when Kuro brings the Goddesses, along with many others to here. Right now, the Hyperdimension Goddesses are having a ball fight now, with T.O explained that it's volleyball. Then, the Ultradimension Goddesses are building sand castles or smashing watermelons with the other students. The Makers are here and there, playing with the people they just met now. Aside from Kuro, his family is nowhere to be found, probably somewhere quite.

My **husband** , though…

"I seriously hate you, Creator…"

Hey, we're a bit self-conscious about our body. So this is the solution.

"Doesn't mean we have to do this…"

I'm looking at him, or rather her now. She has long black hair, which is untied and floating in the wind. She's wearing a black bikini, which shows her beautiful curve and her… Now I'm a bit insecure when I see him like this. And there are two white rings on each on his ring fingers and one sapphire ring that's with one on his left hand. That one, **along with the one in my left ring finger** , is a pair. You can guess what these rings are for.

Anyway, she's trying to cover her exposed parts with exactly no success. Kirche just laughs and tries to push me and Kuro to the others. "You two look beautiful. Just show us with all of your sexy bodies."

Kuro blushes. "Don't…I'm embarrassed here."

"I'm the same, Kirche. Can we not go out there?"

Kirche: "Nonsense! We're here to enjoy the scene and play with each other, not to stay in one place! We're going to have a swim-race, so you are going to join us no matter what!"

Kuro: "But…but…"

"Come on now, don't tell me high and mighty God that **made contact with** **my sister** can't swim?" We look at the source, to see a teenage boy, around 15 years old, making fun of Kuro when he sees him being embarrassed.

Kuro answers: "It's not that. But in this form…"

The boy mocks him: "No excuses. Unless you can't truly swim, then race to the other side of the coast. Or you are just a crybaby that can't take on the challenge?"

Kuro changes his face from embarrassed to neutral, then grins and cracks his knuckles. "Oh, it's on, Chaos. No way I will lose you in this!" Chaos grins, knowing that Kuro has taken the bait, and both of them rush to the sea and start racing against each other.

Well, at least he found a way to distract his embarrassment.

"I'm not saying anything about Kuro." Louise speaks from behind me, as I turn to her. "But you should join us. It's not everyday we can't play freely like today."

I look at the boys while they're having fun. "I suppose so. But I don't really know about…"

Kirche: "Well, that's why you're here, to learn about it! Come, let me teach you about this!" Kirche then just pulls me and Louise, despite her protest to walk on her own, and takes us to the playground…

"And we ended up separating almost the entire time…"

"Sorry about it, Charlotte. But, at least we had fun today."

We're now sitting in a quite place, located in an area that most people won't walk to. Won't walk to, not won't be able to get here. It's near the end of the day, and we're watching the sunset, while leaning to each other. And he has turned back to his normal form.

"…Hey Kuro."

"Yeah?"

"…Will we…be able to be like this forever?"

"Like what? Being like this, or being lovers?"

"The later."

He smiles and gently pokes my face. "Of course we will be. I'm not going to ruin it."

"That's…good…But, what about T.O's words?"

"Ah, that…you misunderstood his words. Remember, he is The Observer, and he's observing us. But, he's also received orders from The Creator. So, when he said that, meaning The Creator is going to stop writing the current story. He's not going to show anymore details about our life for…about a few years or so."

… "Then, about your work…"

"That…" He turns silence a bit. "…I will have to travel, that I'm sure. But I won't forget any of you, and I will visit you as many times as possible."

I smile and kiss him on the lips. "I know you will. I just…don't want to wait too long."

He smiles. "That depends on how Creator wants us to do." I just giggle about it. Yeah, both, no, all three of them are just what they are. They bring smiles to everyone, and that's their goals forever.

"And…can you accept this request of mine?"

"Which is?" I push him down so he lays on the sand with his back, and I climb on his body. "I think you know what I mean." I lay myself on him. Kuro blushes when he sees me like this, but at least he's not panic anymore.

"Are you sure about it, Charlotte? I mean, you're still young…"

"My world, my rules. It won't affect my reputation much. It would even help me when people know who I'm in love with."

He sighs but still keeps up the smile, and he pulls my head closer to me for a deep kiss. "I hope IF and Compa won't interrupt us."

"Well, you did tell them to not interrupt us, right?"

"Who knows what the Creator is thinking…"

* * *

T.O's POV

"Well, it seems nothing's going to stop Charlotte, huh?"

IF: "Luckily you're here. Otherwise we might walk right into it."

Compa: "But isn't that sweet? He's making the girl happy. And we might have another girl for ourselves."

… Girl? "Why are you assuming so, Compa?"

Compa: "Well, it's Gamindustri, right?" That one…that kind of logic never dies, huh?

Weiss: "That aside, when would you think he will write his next story?"

"Right after this chapter. And the epilogue one."

Schwarz: "What she means is, when in our timeline?"

"That…maybe years later. Hey, what about Uzume?"

He blushes. "Why are you asking that?"

"You obviously know why I ask that. But, put that aside for now. I seriously don't know what he's thinking, telling his friend what he's going to do."

IF: "Is that a bad thing?"

"Not exactly, since his friend can't really find him. But, better to not spoil anything for the surprise."

Compa: "Maybe…and, it's time for you to…"

I look at my watch (in habit). "It seems so. Goodbye to you all, and see you in the future." Before the scene around me changes completely, I can see everyone's waving their hands to say their goodbyes to me…Welp, time to turn the time fast forward to where we're needed…

* * *

 **Chapter 17 end!**

 **Yep, ending this story with a bit of Kuro's past, from another person's view. With Arthur's Round table meeting style, and...a bit of traumatized IF/Kuro here. With a little bit of episode 6.5 of season 3. Not gonna lie, the ending is not really my best. But, I will improve more in my next stories.**

 **Anyway, my thank to everyone who has read my stories so far. I feel lucky that I can get some loves from you all. I can't really say much, but, please accept my grateful thank.**

 **See you all in the epilogue chapter!**


	18. Epilogue chapter

**Disclaimer: Yeah, no, sorry, not going to repeat again.**

 **Like I said, this chapter will foreshadow what I'm going to do next. Keep in mind, I will update the profile so that the timeline won't feel strange to you.**

 **Well, this is my goodbye to you, readers. If you stay with me, then see you in my next story!**

* * *

Three years later, Kurome's POV

"It's been 84 years…"

"Don't start the chapter with that meme, T.O…"

"Hey, it's kind of fun that way…"

As the first words indicated, it's been three years after T.O said his goodbye to the Halkeginians. After that, not much changed. Kuro constantly jumped between worlds so that he could take care of both side of universes. Mostly an excuse to visit Charlotte regularly. Halkeginia, though can't change much with just three years, has been caught up with the middle age of Earth. I won't say how much changes though, that's how you readers will imagine.

"Hey Kurome, why don't you talk about your counterpart's life?"

*Blush* "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. How about what you have watched when I was not looking?"

I call out Dark Purple and try to punch him, but he just phases through it. Yes, I'm now allowed to use that power again. Though, Kuro won't like it when I try to use them to hit his friends. And I'm not planning to be lonely again, at least I have T.O here to talk with.

And about Uzume…well, after that 'event', Schwarz managed to…uhm…

"Embarrassed to say the word out?"

"Of course I am! She's me, so speaking about her like that is like talking about me!"

T.O just shrugs. To put it simple, now they have **a lovely daughter.** She has our appearance, while the color is from Schwarz and Kuro. And her power is a combination, like Kuro. And she shows that by literally doing anything without even touching. Multiple cases when she just floated out of her cradle and opened the door to go outside, all done with her Dark power. Like, she didn't even have to try at all. That can only be avoided when Kuro found out about her power (he didn't want to ask Schwarz and Uzume to check on their daughter instantly, only when they asked him for that). He gave his son a small device to cancel the girl's Dark power, since her Goddess power isn't really a problem, but that device's also like Kuro: it changes its mind constantly and sometimes decides not to work, so the couple would have to deal on their own. So, that thing only temporary helps them a bit.

About her name, though…

"We're not exactly the ones to pick up a good name."

"At least we can search for it, and the name kind of fits."

"Yeah, fits for your 'cool' meter, right?"

*Blush* "You know what both of us like."

"True, true. So, should we show the readers her name, or…"

"Maybe in the future. When Kuro and his family speaks about it. We don't have permission to do so."

"Okay, I guess. Now, about…"

Our conversation's interrupted when we see a light, indicating that someone's being teleported here. None of us has been told that there would be a person coming here. When the light dies down, it reveals a man in his thirties, with white hair…wait a second, no, that's a wig. He wears what seems to be black glasses, and that applies with his round lenses. His eyes lose its color for some reasons, even though the pupils are still there. He wears a green shirt, which the collar covers his neck, along with a black vest under a green coat and the darker shade of the color could be said with his trousers and his shoes.

The man is turning back and forth, clearly confused about where he is now. "Where…where am I? How did I get here?"

We have walked up to him, as T.O speaks up: "May I ask, what is **the famous Headmaster of the most famous Academy** doing in our realm? Don't you have a place to run?" During our time here, T.O has explained to me that, unless we speak up, then we're invisible to any newcomers go to this place.

The man turns to him in surprise. Then, he asks: "Am I…is this…Heaven?"

T.O immediately drops his cheeky attitude, as he asks the man again: "You're…you're not **him.** " Then, he asks: "What's the last moment you remembered, sir?"

The man answers: "I…I was in my bed, waiting for the…" He turns silence a bit. Then: "May I ask, what is this place?"

T.O: "This…you could say that this is my home…Our home to be exact." He then bows to him. "My apology for not introducing myself. I am The Observer, or you can call me T.O. This…" He gestures to me, as I bow as well. "My name is Kurome Ankokuboshi. Nice to meet you, sir."

The man bows to us as well. "Greetings you two. My name is…"

"PROFESSOR!" All three of us turns to the voice, to see a young girl running towards us, and three more running behind her. I thought he's the only one getting here? "Thanks goodness we found you! What happened to **our Academy?** Where did you go?" And many more questions, with high speed.

I don't see anything wrong with the girl, however, when the girl gets near us, both T.O and the man say: " **The Silver Eyes…"**


End file.
